A Change Of Winds: A GT Remake
by psi baka onna
Summary: The final chapter of the dragonball trilogy retold with some new changes. This is the story of how Goku let go of his title of earth's hero and how others accept it. A little TOC in later chapters. Reading the girl next door first is advised. complete
1. prologue

I'm back! I thought it was about time I started this, this story won't write itself after all. There are still a few things I need to work out in later chapters but I have enough to start writing the first few chapters.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Dragonball/z/gt or any of the characters/attacks/planets/realms that are associated with the series. If I did own any of them then this is how GT would have gone and I wouldn't be posting this on here simply because it wouldn't be fan fiction but a real TV program instead. Also I would be rich and/or an old japanese man and wouldn't be going to sixth form in September because I wouldn't need to so if you think I own what I am disclaiming then you are a silly, silly little person.

**Claimer**: I do own Zara and all Original Characters and the various changes I'm making. You won't be silly for assuming that I own those, not at all!

**Authors note:** this is a GT remake that includes my own original characters that you'll have to read the girl next door to know who they are. Also the I'm keeping the same villains and certain parts of the plot whilst changing parts that annoyed me and could have been handled better as well as a completely different ending. Also if Goku seems a little OOC then I apologised but it will go along with the plot, after all this story is about the change in heroes as well as other things…anyway I think I've talked for long enough. It's about time I started. Just remember to review at the end!

**A change of winds: the GT remake**

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**Prologue**

It has been ten long years since the last time that the Earth was in danger and the blue planet had lived in peace ever since but now a battle raged high above the planet in the floating palace of Earth's Kami.

The saiyan Goku, a tall man with black hair that stuck out at all angles, was flying backwards with his arms crossed firmly across his chest whilst the human boy and good reincarnation of the monstrous kid Buu, Uub, chased him with his arm raised.

Uub was a tanned boy with a black Mohawk and he was now catching up to Goku at a rapid pace. He was able to deliver his blow that was blocked. Uub frowned and aimed two more punches that soon became part of a much larger combination of attacks that were all thrown at his sensei.

Goku dodged the first two blows but had to block the rest just to end up being hit squarely across the jaw by a stray punch. Uub grinned at this and followed up with a kick to the chest that sent the saiyan flying backwards. Goku disappeared from view just to come back beside his pupil and execute a perfect spinning kick that sent the boy to the ground below.

The saiyan smiled to himself and floated down to Uub, grinning his signature grin.

"That was great Uub, I think that's a pass." He said and helped the boy up who grinned and allowed himself to be led out to the top of the lookout.

Dende and Mr Popo were waiting for them there. The namekian and kami of the earth quickly set to work on healing them both while the dark skinned genie watched.

"So how did he do?" Mr Popo asked, not looking forward to cleaning up the mess the two warriors had no doubt caused.

"He did great. I should probably have tested him sooner but I was having too much fun challenging myself against him." Goku answered with a scratch of the back of his head. Dende stepped away from Uub who was now completely healed and had all of his energy back.

"It's a good thing that we let you do it up here. Earth probably wouldn't have survived the damage." Dende commented with a joke.

"Your probably right about that one." Goku said with a chuckle. Uub nodded and smiled.

"True. Well I better be going, mum is waiting for me at home. Thanks for the training Goku!" the boy said and with a quick goodbye from the others he dived off the edge of the lookout. Goku watched then turned to the others as he sensed Uub start to fly towards his village.

"I should probably go as well. Where's Piccolo? I should probably say something to him." The saiyan asked. It was Mr Popo that answered.

"He's down on earth meditating. I guess your little battle got to loud for him." He explained and got another chuckle out of Goku.

"Guess it did then. That's Piccolo for you. Well I better be off." He said and started walking towards the edge of the lookout when a familiar ki-signature caught his attention.

Inside one of the dome like structures of the lookout walked three people in cybernetic suits. They walked purposefully towards a storeroom.

"Shu, are we in the right place?" came an annoyed voice from the leader.

"I think so emperor." A nervous voice replied.

"Good!" the first replied and the suit opened up to reveal an incredibly small blue man that looked aged. He jumped out of his suit and walked to a pulpit in the middle of the dark room. He smiled gleefully and pulled off a sheet that was covering it.

"At last! After all the long years of research I have finally found them!" the little man yelled. The other two suits opened out and a middle aged woman and a dog in a ninja suit jumped out. Both walked toward the pulpit.

"Are those Dragonballs?" the woman asked as she looked at the dusty balls that were resting in the pit. The emperor glared at the woman who cringed.

"Of course they are Mai." He snapped and picked one up. He rubbed off the dust and showed her the one star ball. Mai and Shu both gasped.

"But emperor, why is the star black in stead of red?" Mai asked as she looked over the orange ball. The small man groaned in frustration.

"That's because these are the black star Dragonballs!" he explained as though he were talking to a child.

"Black star Dragonballs?" Shu asked. The emperor nodded and snatched the ball away from Mai.

"Yes. These were made before the original Piccolo split into Kami and Piccolo Damio. They are far more powerful then the regular balls. They are supposed to be able to grant any wish, including killing people." He explained and then commanded the other two to gather them.

They took the balls to a gazebo like room and spread them out. The little emperor grinned and summoned the dragon. The sky darkened as usual and lightening flashed over the sky and took the form of the largest dragon yet to be seen by any of the Z Shensi. It looked just like Shenlong only it was red.

"You have summoned me and now I shall grant you one wish." It said and the little blue man grinned. Shu gulped as he stared at the giant dragon that was peering in at them.

"You know normally when we get this close something happens that stops it." He said and stumbled backwards. Mai shushed him and their emperor got ready to make his wish.

That is until Goku strolled in as if on cue.

"What's going on in here?" he asked and looked round before noticing the horrified/surprised looks on everyone's faces.

"Pilaf? Is that you?" he asked as he noticed the little man in the middle of the room. Pilaf didn't recognise him.

"Who's this?" he asked in an annoyed tone. Shu looked over at his emperor as if he were crazy.

"That's Goku! He's the one that always ruined are plans right at the last minute!" the aged dog exclaimed. Pilaf blinked and stared at Goku.

"That's him? But he used to be shorter then me!" he said, making Goku laugh.

"I don't think I've ever been shorter then you." he told him.

"What? You were! And I would wipe the floor with you!" he added the last part as an after thought but still got a laugh.

"That's not how I remember it either."

At this Pilaf growled.

"Why you…! I wish you were a kid again! Then I'd show you!" he yelled but before Goku could reply the deep, rumbling voice of the dragon answered.

"As you wish." it boomed. Its eyes glowed a bright red and Goku was enveloped in a bright light. The others in the room could just make out Goku's form shrinking and when it finally faded a twelve-year-old version of Goku was standing with a clueless look on his face.

"What happened?" he asked then stared in shock as his voice reached his ears. Dende came rushing in and froze at the scene just as Pilaf and his followers jumped back into their armour and ran off of the edge of the lookout. Dende watched them and noticed that the dragon that had been peering into the small room had gone, the Dragonballs had scattered and the sky was returning to normal. He then walked over to Goku and knelt down to his level.

"Goku, why are you a chibi again?" he asked.

After a brief explanation and some of Mr Popo's home cooking the young guardian was filled in.

"This is terrible. Earth's hero can't be a child! We have to go out and find the balls straight away!" Dende exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Goku shook his head.

"It not that bad, Dende, I actually feel pretty good. I can't remember the last time I had this much energy!" he explained and jumped down from the table.

"I can wait a year to turn back. Besides, I really should go home. I've left my family waiting for long enough!" Goku added and left despite Dende's protests.

On the planets surface everything seemed calmed. A certain 27 year-old demi-saiyan looked out of his window.

_Strange wonder who made the wish._ He thought and put his attention back to the phone that was pressed against his ear.

"Hey, It's me, Goten. I was just calling to say that I've got a day off work today and wanted to know if you wanted to do anything…" he said to the receiver as the front door burst open and an angry 14 year old stormed in and fell dramatically onto the sofa followed by her father.

"My life is over!" she exclaimed dramatically, causing Goten to roll his eyes as he continued his conversation. An aging dark-haired woman stuck her head round the kitchen door to look at the guests.

"Gohan? Pan? What's wrong?" she asked. Gohan, looked at his mother with a hopeless expression.

"Boy trouble." He said glumly and sat in an armchair.

"It's the same thing as always! He found out how strong I was and freaked!" Pan complained, turning her onyx eyes to her grandmother who sighed.

"Well tell me what happened." She said, knowing it would be up to her to comfort Pan since her mother was still at work and her father was hopeless when it came to boy trouble.

"Ok grandma Chichi. We were going to a movie and on the way we saw this bank being robbed. The bad guys were holding a woman hostage and I ran in to help and when I was done he had ran off!"

Chichi sighed and started with the usual comforting speech, ignoring Goten's attempt at moving rooms. There was a knock at the door and Goten ended up answering it.

When he opened it he did a double take.

"Err…I'll call you back." He told the girl on the other end and stared at the boy who looked so much like he did as a child.

"Hey Goten! It's so good to see you again!" the chibi said happily. Goten just went pale and then:

"MUM!"

The next series of events were a blur to Goku. Chichi had come running and then had fainted upon seeing him, Goku and Gohan had helped her to the sofa and Pan had gone to fetch a wet cloth. Goten had stood in the corner the whole time. When Chichi woke up she started yelling at Goku until her voice was horse and Gohan had to stop her.

"Just what happened dad? I mean you go off to train Uub and visit on the weekends and then every other week and eventually you never visit at all then suddenly, out of the blue, you turn up like this!" Gohan said much more eloquently then Chichi had.

"Somebody wished for it." Goku said simply. Gohan rubbed his temples.

"Somebody wished for you to be a kid?" he asked and Goku nodded.

"Well I hope you taught them a lesson!" Chichi cried, finding her voice again. Goku shrugged.

"Then ran off when Dende showed up." He said simply.

"Well you better get out there and get wished back to normal then." Chichi said, deciding that was more important. Goku just shrugged.

"There's no rush." He said. This was clearly the wrong thing to say because it set Chichi off on another tirade.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NO RUSH? DON'T TELL ME YOU PLAN TO STAY THIS WAY!" she yelled, making everybody take a step back at her little explosion. The men were just glad there were no frying pans lying around in her reach.

"I'll wish myself back! I just don't see any reason why we should right away." He said defensively. Luckily for Goku a voice broke into the conversation before Chichi could explode again.

_Goku, we need to talk_. A very familiar and deep voice said inside all of their heads. Goku grinned happily.

"Hey Piccolo! What's up?" he chirped.

_This is serious Goku. Dende told me what happened and we haven't got much time_. The ex-guardian of the earth snapped.

"What's wrong Piccolo?" Gohan asked as casually as one would in a telephone conversation. It was strange how used to this type of conversation they were.

_Those Dragonballs that were used to wish Goku into a child were the black stars. After being used the planet they were used on will explode after a year unless they are gathered in time_. Piccolo informed the group, causing everyone but Goku to gasp.

"No problem. We'll easily get them all by then." Goku said to the ceiling.

_It's not that easy! The black stars spread across the universe after a wish_. Piccolo snapped. This time Goku gasped with the others.

"Let me get this straight, the planet will explode in a year unless someone gets all of those Dragonballs?" Chichi asked

_And brings them back here. Yes_.

Silence filled the room then chichi jumped up.

"Goku you better get out there and find those balls right away!" she yelled, making her husband jump.

"But Chichi I can't! I don't have a ship!" he said.

"I bet Bulma will have something. And I'll go with him." Gohan said, getting up.

It didn't take them long to get to Capsule Corp.'s home base. It had grown a lot more then Goku thought possible in ten years. Some of the neighbouring houses had been converted into warehouses, which had only been possible because the combination of the explosions from Vegeta's GR and Bulma's lab had scared away all neighbours.

The actual house had changed as well. The whole bottom floor had been converted into a reception desk and offices then the second floor was the living room and kitchen and the attic had been converted into a third floor where the bed rooms were. It wasn't what Goku had been expecting.

That wasn't all Goku hadn't been expecting. With a stroke of luck Bulma had been working on a new version of the space ship a few years back. It just needed to be adjusted and have a quick systems check then it would be ready to fly. As soon as Bulma showed it to them Gohan started admiring it.

"You've upgraded the engines." Gohan noted. The aging aqua haired scientist nodded.

"Yes, But I could probably do better now. I did that roughly five years ago." She explained almost sadly over the fact that she wouldn't have a chance to tinker with it.

"It will do. Look's kind of big for just the two of us though." Gohan noted as he looked over the almost squid like ship. It was round with eight legs keeping it upright.

Bulma shifted her weight and nodded.

"Yes, that's because it's built for three. And it's not just the two of you going. I've found a third and eager pilot for you," she explained. Gohan just looked confused.

"Who's that then?" he asked just before two hands landed on his shoulders making him jump.

"That'll be me," came a feminine voice that was laughing, "Kami Gohan! You're getting to easy. You need to start training again."

"Zara, I should have guessed." Gohan said and turned to face the golden-eyed halfling. She had cut her dark sandy-brown hair so it framed her face and curled at the bottom and she now wore a cheeky grin that she hadn't worn since she was a small girl.

"You should have, you didn't think that we'd put you two in a space ship with nothing but a dragon radar, did you? You'd probably get lost," she said.

"That's it, Trunks and Goten have not been a good influence on you. And in my defence it could have been Vegeta." Gohan pointed out. Bulma laughed at this.

"Oh please. If I sent him with you then not only would you get lost but you'd be blown up as well." She said and the other two laughed along with her.

"Well the ship is in working order, if it's ok with you I'm going to go wash up and find old Mr explosions-solve-everything." Zara said and ran off. Gohan stared after her.

"Did the boys really do that?" he asked no one in particular, remembering what Zara had been like just ten years before. She had been really distant and had lost most of her sense of humour except when it came to making fun of Goten. She had just been training and working all the time but eventually she had started hanging around Trunks more. Of course she sometimes just disappeared for a week but that was just Zara.

Bulma looked at him then after the retreating girl.

"Partly, but I think piloting that ship has something to do with it." Bulma said and went back to showing Gohan around.

Meanwhile a certain saiyan prince was dragging his son into the building.

"Hey! Dad would you just tell me what this is all about?" the lavender haired demi-saiyan asked, glaring at his father's flame like head.

"You've been neglecting your training for long enough! You are going to go on this little space mission thing with Kakarot!" Vegeta told his son. Trunks went wide-eyed and struggled to get out of the death grip.

"No way! Gohan needs it way more then I do!" Trunks protested but Vegeta wouldn't hear it.

"Gohan is too far gone to be saved by this. You're going to go with Goten and Kakarot." Vegeta countered just as Goten turned the corner.

"Did I hear my name?" he asked. Vegeta just grabbed him and continued his walk to the warehouse the ship was stored in.

"Good thing you showed up, I don't have to find you now." Vegeta said with a smirk.

"Hey! V-man! Have you gone insane?" Goten asked and tried to break free.

"You could say that. He thinks we're going to just drop everything to go into space!" Trunks told his friend, giving up his struggle. Goten started struggling harder.

"You can't! I've got stuff to do here! I can't just take a year off of work! And what about mum?" he asked.

"I've already talked to her and she says it will be alright. And if your brother can take a year off then so can you. And don't even think about saying you can't, Trunks. Your mother can take over the company until you get back." Vegeta explained. Goten looked around searchingly for an excuse.

"But there isn't enough room on the ship! What about Zara? She had her heart set on it…" Goten started when the voice belonging to the person in question met their ears.

"Was Trunks caught skipping work to fly again? Because I warned him that this would happen." Zara said as Vegeta turned the corner. The prince smirked.

"Ah, just the person I wanted to see," Vegeta greeted her and with a quick glance at the boys he continued, "It appears that you have a position on the ship which is a shame because the boys here need to go. It should help them with their training."

Zara face dropped for a moment then she smiled.

"Well they do need it more…" she started but was interrupted.

"What? Zara! You were supposed to save us!" Goten complained.

"But you do. You've been dating and slacking off instead of training for ages." She pointed out.

"Hey, I've been busy running a company!" Trunks pointed out and she smirked.

"True but a change of scene will be good for you. Besides, your getting rusty…" she said.

"No I'm not. I can easily take you." Trunks said and frowned.

"Yea, in your dreams." She retorted

"I'll take you right now if you want. And I will go on that mission just to show you how much of a waste of time it is for me." He announced. Zara laughed at him.

"You are so easy to wind up." She told him then looked at Goten.

"I guess if Trunks is going then I have to too, right?" He asked and in answer Vegeta started to push him down the hall. Trunks watched them go then looked at Zara.

"I thought you wanted to go on that thing, what changed your mind?" he asked and started walking to the warehouse with her.

"Vegeta was right, you needed it more. Besides it's no big loss. So I won't get that change in scenery, I wouldn't have lasted long with only Gohan and Goku for company anyway. I'll just have to stay here and try not to kill any body at work." She said and shrugged.

"You can handle that much, you've lasted this long. At least you won't be wasting your time relaxing."

"Oh yea, because that's the last thing I need." She said as the two walked out side.

Vegeta made sure that both boys went to the hanger and after much persuasion from Bulma, who didn't want him to get in the way, he left to do some training in his Gravity Room which was in a complex on the opposite side of the C.C grounds to the hanger.

When he was within meters of it he saw two teenage girls come running out.

"Bra! What were you doing in there?" Vegeta yelled at his daughter who froze and looked nervously at him.

"Oh nothing daddy," the 13-year-old clone of Bulma said, " I was just showing Pan the new modifications mum added." Then left with Pan while her father just stared after her.

The two girls ran into the house and to the large family room where both girls collapsed on the sofa.

"That was a close call." Bra said with a sigh. Pan nodded.

"Why don't you just tell him that you've been learning this stuff?" she asked.

"I want to surprise him, ok? And it's not time yet. Besides I'm his little princess and I don't know if he'll be happy that I'm taking an interest or mad because I might get myself hurt." Bra sighed. She had been getting Pan to train her in how to fight and manipulate ki for roughly a year and without any body knowing.

"You know he'll be more upset that you kept it from him. Besides this is Vegeta we're talking about. He'll be ecstatic!" Pan assured her friend who shrugged it off. The older girl watched her friend carefully.

"At least they don't under estimate you. I've been fighting since I was in nappies and they're still treating me like a beginner. They don't even think that I can go super yet!" she complained.

Bra looked at her.

"Can you go super? Cause if you can then you'll have to teach me!" but Pan ignored her.

_There has to be someway that I can prove myself…that's it!_ She thought then jumped over the back of the sofa and ran off, leaving a confused Bra in her wake.

Half an hour later everybody was assembled out side the hanger where the ship had been kept. It had been moved out side and everybody was waiting for take off. Trunks, Goten and Goku all stood assembled out side the ship and getting ready to go when Goku noticed Vegeta for the first time since he arrived. And he kept starring.

"What is it Kakarot?" the proud prince asked after a few moments of ignoring it.

"There's something on your face." Goku said, staring at it. Vegeta raised his hands to reach a line of hair under his nose then glared at Goku.

"It's called a moustache and if you weren't such a baka then you would have known that! Now stop staring!" he snapped. Goku just laughed at him. Trunks sighed.

"Come on, we better get onboard before you get dad really made and he blows up the ship." He said and steered Goku on board.

"I would never blow up the one thing that can get him off this rock." Vegeta shot back at his son with a smirk but was ignored. Goten was about to follow when his pocket rang. He quickly brought out a phone.

"I'll be right there, I need to take this." He told them and turned round. Trunks nodded and went inside just as Videl showed up.

"I'm not to late then." She panted as Gohan walked over to greet her.

"Yea, just in time." He smiled at her. She nodded then looked round.

"Where's Pan?" she asked.

Trunks and Goku walked into the cockpit of the ship. Trunks turned the pilot's chair round and received a nasty shock.

"Hi!" Pan chirped.

"Pan? What are you doing here?" Goku asked and stared in shock.

"Getting ready to prove my worth!" she announced and turned round.

"So lets go!" she yelled and pressed a button on the control panel. Goku would have wondered how she knew what to press if he hadn't noticed the instruction manual Trunks had been reading earlier lying in one of the co-pilot chairs.

The engines roared as they fired up. Out side the force of the engines sent Goten flying into a wall. He climbed out of the mess just in time to see the ship raising off the ground and shooting off into the sky.

"Err…I think I will be able to make it after all…" he told who ever he had been talking to over the phone. Zara walked over to him to make sure he was all right.

"Well look on the bright side, at least you got what you wanted." She told him.

"Yea but now Trunks has to put up with Pan and dad for a year. That's something I wouldn't want any one to go through." He told her and they both watched as the ship disappeared from view.

......

A/N: well that was a very long prologue indeed. But I have changes already! Now all you have to do is click on that little button in the bottom corner to review and you'll get another chapter! Well you will anyway but I'll be happy! & I'll stop going on about reviews and wait for you to be nice and review. Starting from now…

& If there is anything that needs clearing up about the story like Zara then look at the girl next door. That was an introduction to her and this is sort of a squeal to that. Ja'ne!


	2. chapter 1: parasite

Thanks for the reviews 

**Chapter 1: Parasite**

It was almost a year later and the trio of saiyans were still out gathering the Dragonballs. On Earth things had continued as normal but something was about to change.

Out in space a ship was travelling towards the small blue planet at an incredible speed. It was damaged from various impacts but it still continued to speed towards the small planet that was third in it's system.

Eventually it hit the planet's atmosphere and began to glow red-hot as it continued to shoot forward, the very air burning red as it continued on its way. Just as the metal sphere threatened to break apart it came in contact with the hard farmland and skidded along, bouncing a few times and eventually coming to rest with a deep scar in the ground from where it hit.

A door in its side slide open with a 'whoosh' and a large green creature stumbled out into the night air. He looked exhausted as his hoofed feet were dragged heavily across the ground. Eventually he fell snout first into the ground and lay there unmoving.

Lights turned on in the nearby farmhouse and the creature could be seen squirming as what looked like silver blood slid out of his mouth. The silver substance slowly came together to form what looked like a teenager with a pointed head that turned into a cured horn. He had completely blue eyes that were almost like glass. There were no signs of pupils or even an iris; they were just blue. He had a silver complexion and no eyebrows and above his left brow was a yellow and red strip. He wore a blue spandex suit that revealed his silver chest and he also had yellow shoulder pads, wrist and ankle bands.

The silver man looked around the place and sneered.

"So this is where the saiyans live," he mumbled.

This creature was Bebi and he was believed to be part of a race of machines called machine mutants. One man, Doctor Myuu whose goal was to rule the galaxy and to make the ultimate machine mutant, had created them. Dr Myuu had been gathering the black star Dragonballs to assist him with the first goal but the unexpected intervention of three saiyans had caught him off guard. Bebi could remember Myuu's defeat all to well.

_Bebi had been in a tank that was some sort of artificial womb. He had been completely aware of what was going on but unable to do anything._

_Dr Myuu had entered the lab with three other people and he could here them talking._

_"Gil had been regaining his memory as we moved closer to planet M2. He told me about all of this and we hatched a plan." A man spoke in voice Bebi didn't recognise._

_"So you got yourself captured on purpose?" a voice belonging to a teenage girl asked._

_"Yea. Gil freed me and made a convincing fake. After that we looked around and found this." The man explained. Through their conversation they had been coming closer and now they were right outside of the Bebi's tank._

_"What is it?" a little boy's voice asked._

_"No! Don't touch that!" Dr Myuu's frantic voice yelled but the others seemed to ignore him._

_"That is the ultimate machine mutant Myuu was going to use to take over the galaxy." The man's unfamiliar voice said and gasps and an 'oh' was heard. But the man was finished._

_"If this thing is ever completed then we'd all be doomed. That's why it has to be destroyed."_

_Bebi could sense an unknown light source being created in front of the tank and recognised it as a blast but, from what he could tell, as the blast was being fired Myuu tackled the man and the blast ended up blowing some tubing over the tank up._

_Mad beeping filled the air and Myuu panicked and quickly ran to the tank. Made typing of a keyboard reached Bebi's ears as it became harder to breath. He wasn't getting any air. He struggled to breath and he could feel the fluid he was in draining out of the tank. Something moved and he could breath._

_"Please still be alive!" Dr Myuu had been chanting under his breath like a mantra and Bebi opened his eyes for the first time._

_The room was dark and large. The three people that had been talking stood further away. A little boy with unruly black spiky hair stood next to a lavender haired man and then there was a teenage girl with an orange bandana that was clutching a struggling robot._

_Then Bebi looked at himself. He was in a baby form. He was grey all over and unable to walk properly._

_"Bebi? You're alive! No thanks to the saiyans…" the doctor said, muttering the last part but Bebi heard him. Something jolted in his memory._

_"Saiyans?" he asked in a shaky voice that sounded too deep for a baby. Myuu jumped at this._

_"Yes, saiyans! They tried to kill you!" Myuu started but Bebi didn't listen. Instead he shakily got to his feet and growled._

_"SAIYANS!" he yelled and glowed then unexpectedly blasts shot out of him from al directions. When he the stopped the saiyans had been thrown into the ceiling through their attempts to dodge._

_Bebi growled and took to the air and watched them. Then suddenly:_

_"Attack now!" the little boy yelled and they all pushed away from the wall and fired blasts. They all hit and when the smoke cleared he was gone. All three saiyans assumed he did but they didn't see a small trace of silver blood enter on of Myuu's wounds as he limped into a hidden space pod._

Bebi thought over his memories carefully. He had destroyed Myuu shortly after leaving the planet and had used a Dragonball to lure the saiyans into a trap. They had taken him to a hospital planet while he was inside an injured boy. He had then jumped to a doctor and then to the lavender haired saiyan known as Trunks but he hadn't been expecting what happened. Trunks had transformed into a super saiyan and had managed to force Bebi out of his body.

But not before Bebi learned about the Earth. He was going to give those three saiyans a nasty surprise when they got home.

"Hey! Who's over there?" a voice yelled and Bebi turned his head to see a man with a shotgun. It was the farmer. Bebi smirked and turned to a liquid metal form then jumped at the man, entering his pores and taking control of his body.

Hours later and the whole of Capsule corp. home base was busy. Chichi and Goten had stayed over for the night mainly because Chichi didn't want to be completely alone while her children were at work. And Goten was getting ready for a date he was going to have before his shift at work. Bulma had been up all night working and was just getting herself together for another day of work. Running a laboratory and a leading technology company left no time for anything. Not even on a Saturday.

Goten was busy running round the kitchen, getting a quick snack that probably would have counted as a normal meal for a human and then took off down the hall.

"Bye guys, I'm going out." He called as he ran.

"Just be careful round those city girls!" Chichi yelled after her son and sighed when he didn't listen. Bulma was drinking coffee and supposed to be going over some documents but she was watching her friend closely instead.

"Don't worry about him, he can look after himself." The aging scientist told her friend.

"I know but I still worry." Chichi sighed.

Goten ran down the hall as fast as he could and bumped into a wall of muscle. He looked up to see a smirking Vegeta.

"Sorry V-man but I'm in a hurry." Goten told him ad tried to run off but was stopped and ended up just jogging on the spot.

"Wait brat, don't you notice anything?" Vegeta asked and tried to make his cleanly shaven face stand out. Goten just looked blankly at him.

"Umm…should I?" he asked, mirroring one of the looks his father was famous for. Vegeta growled.

"Just get out of here." He barked and Goten ran off with a confused look on his face, just barely missing the new arrival.

"Watch it!" a disgruntled Zara yelled after Goten and turned the corner, spotting Vegeta. Her intense gaze instantly settled to where his moustache had once been.

"Well something's different here." She said and moved her gaze.

"And what's that?" Vegeta asked, smirking again. Zara put a mock thoughtful expression on her face and circled him.

"Well it's not your hair because it's still as pointy as ever, you've been wearing that shirt for ages now so you haven't gotten a new one, you can't have grown so I'm guessing that you've shaved off your 'stache." She concluded.

"And?" Vegeta asked slightly annoyed.

"And I didn't think you'd shave it off when it had been doing a good job of annoying Bulma when you first got it. But you do look younger. So are we sparring today or what?" she asked and stepped away from him. He frowned from the lack of compliments but led her down the hall anyway. They walked past the kitchen and were stopped by the women.

"Vegeta? That you?" Bulma called and came out.

"Oh my, you shaved it off. Well don't you just look handsome without it. Bra should be brutally honest with you more often." She said when she saw her husband's face. Chichi appeared round the corner.

"Why what happened?" she asked.

"Bra told him that it made him look like some sad old man and she would deny all connections with him until he got rid of it." Bulma told her.

"Aw, Vegeta is getting soft. How cute." Chichi said and giggled. Vegeta growled and stomped down the hall and away from the laughing women.

Goten walked down the street. He had flown to Satan city to meet up with his latest love interest and was now showing her around.

She was a rich girl that didn't get out much and had lived a very sheltered life so she was unused to certain popular trends.

"Hey, do you want a ice cream?" Goten asked her as they walked past a park where a man was selling the freezing treat.

"An ice cream? I don't think I've ever had one of those before…" she said thoughtfully.

"Really? Then you have to! You don't know what you're missing." He told her and quickly bought two cones then had to show her how to eat it.

_She's so cute…_Goten thought as he watched the brunette lick her ice cream cautiously. They continued through the park and talked, well he talked and she listened, and then came out on a busy street. Something seemed to be happening because a crowd was gathered around one of the stores. The couple stopped to look as a man was thrown out of the crowd.

"Wait here." Goten said and rushed over to see what was happening. A man that looked like a trucker had been the one to throw out another man.

"Where are the saiyans?" the trucker barked and the other man quivered in fear. Goten approached just as a familiar person came out of the coffee shop the men were fighting in front of.

"Hey! You better stop fighting and get out of here before I call the cops!" the blonde waitress yelled. The Trucker looked at her.

"Not until I find a saiyan." The trucker barked. The girl froze.

"What do you want with them?" she asked. The trucker started to look at her with more interest and stepped towards her. He grabbed her roughly.

"Marron, get out of there!" a voice yelled before Goten appeared kicking the trucker away and into a wall.

"Goten?" the blonde asked. Goten made sure that the guy wasn't getting up then turned to her.

"What was that all about?" he asked her.

"I dunno. I was just working here and a fight broke out so I came out to put a stop to it. But something weird is going on here. He knows about you guys." She said. Goten looked surprised but not as surprised as he did a second later when a fist flew into his face and sent him stumbling backwards. Goten looked up to see a man in a suit glaring at him.

"So you're a saiyan?" he asked in a deep voice. Goten stared at him then frowned.

"Hey Marron, my girlfriend should be over by the park, go tell her I'll be there in a minute. Her names Paris." He told the blonde girl who nodded and ran to find her. Goten watched then stared at the man in front of him.

"What do you want with the saiyans?" Goten asked the suit.

"What everyone wants from a saiyan." The suit said.

"So a fight? Fine but you won't last long." Goten retorted. The suit laughed then jumped forward. In an untraceable movement, Goten raised his knee to hit the man in the gut. The suit doubled over and laughed.

"I guess I can't move fast enough in a human body. Maybe I should fight you in person." He mumbled then collapsed and through his pores a silver substance poured out and became a silver man. Bebi stared at Goten.

"This should even the odds." He said and took to the sky. Goten nodded and followed.

The two squared off against each other. Bebi smirked and was the first to attack, throwing punches to try and ware his opponent down. Goten dodged and grabbed a punch the hit Bebi hard in the chest and then the back, throwing him down to the ground. He watched then noticed Paris and Marron watching from the ground. He smirked and got ready for Bebi to come back up and attack.

Bebi landed on his feet before he jumped right back up and charged an attack. He started throwing blasts that Goten dodged all the blasts and punched Bebi across the face, making him fall back. Bebi quickly recovered and threw another blast at Goten who barely dodged. The blast cut his arm and left a shallow wound that bled slowly. Goten frowned and flew at Bebi and attacked. Bebi blocked Goten's kicks and punches and returned some of his own. Goten threw a punch at Bebi who ducked under it and punched the demi-saiyan hard in the gut. Goten doubled over and Bebi punched Goten in the same place twice more then threw him down, into a building.

Goten climbed out and saw the girls staring at him.

_Can't look bad in front of my date…_he thought and flew back to meet Bebi. Goten smirked.

"I'm going to end this here." He announced.

"Well I can't allow it. I can't set my plans for this planet in to motion if you do." Bebi replied and powered up. Goten watched and started to raise his power level to remain even. Goten ended up having to go super to continue following.

On the ground the girls watched.

"What are they doing?" Paris asked as she stared at Goten.

"They're powering up. That guy has to be strong, Goten had to transform." Marron explained.

"What are you talking about? He's blonde now." Paris said. Marron sweat dropped

"Wow, you're really perceptive, aren't you?" she asked sarcastically and decided not to go into it. The guys had started fighting again.

Goten swung at Bebi who ducked and kicked. Goten blocked it and punched Bebi in the chest, sending him backwards. Bebi growled and charged up a blast as Goten charged at him. When Goten was close enough Bebi fired a large beam of energy that hit Goten head on. The saiyan raised his hands to block it and caught the beam and just managed to stop. He struggled to push the beam away but couldn't.

Bebi smirked and watched Goten carefully. He had roughly learnt how to measure power levels and could sense that Goten was struggling.

_Not much longer…if my theory is right then this should work._ Bebi thought.

Goten struggled with the blast and began to power up as he held it off. His aura burst outwards and ki-bolts began to run down his body. His hair stood straight on end and he screamed as he finally managed to throw the beam up into the air.

Bebi smirked and let the energy disperse then as Goten was panting Bebi turned into his liquid form again and flew through the air, straight at Goten's wounded arm.

Goten looked shocked as he grabbed at the wound. His breathing slowed and he floated to the ground where Marron and Paris met him.

"Goten! Wow, that was incredible!" Paris cried as Goten powered down. She wrapped him into a hug the he didn't return. Marron walked over to him.

"That was pretty cool," she said then noticed his arm, "you're bleeding."

Paris broke the hug and looked down at the wound and quickly fished a handkerchief out of her bag for a make shift bandage.

"That's better." Paris chirped and grinned at Goten. Marron watched him carefully.

"You ok?" she asked. Goten didn't answer and instead took off his bandage and dropped it on the floor with a sly smirk.

"What are you doing?" Paris asked in a worried tone. Goten stepped on the handkerchief then rudely powered up and blasted into the sky, leaving Paris to stare at the handkerchief and Marron to stare after him with worry etched all over her face.

......

A/N: so I skipped the actual hunt, I couldn't think of much to change about that. Guess I could be persuaded to try but I'd need a lot of reviews telling me to. There will be a few added chapters though so I'll make up for it. Now to work on the next chapter, Ja'ne


	3. chapter 2: brotherly spat

I gots reviews! Yay!

Son Oliver: sounds like we have something in common but sadly if I told you about my plans for Goku then it would be giving away the plot for the others…meh, it won't take too long to get to that part.

Rejhan: glad you liked the change. Can't have Hercule taking credit for something else now can we :p

Now for the story

**Chapter 2: brotherly spat**

Goten flew swiftly towards Capsule Corp's home base and soon the large domed buildings belonging to it came into view. He landed right in front of the main building and walked inside, slamming the doors open with such force that the glass shattered and their frames were bent and nearly torn off of their hinges.

Everyone in the lobby stopped what they were doing and stared at him as he calmly walked through the room. He pushed past anyone in his way and sent them skidding across the floor. Soon he had everybody avoiding him. He continued through the next set of doors that led through offices and to the stairs, breaking those as well. Everybody snapped out of their shock and the man behind a front desk called after him.

"Sir! You forgot to sign in!"

Zara walked towards the stairs in a huff. She was already going over everything that went wrong in her hour-long session with Vegeta and getting herself ready for the next one.

_Next time he'll be the one to be thrown through a wall. See how he likes it…_ she thought then stopped as she reached the stares and saw Goten's spiky head coming up it almost like a shark's dorsal fin. She stood her ground ready for him.

"You're back early, didn't it go well?" she asked when he reached the top step but instead of answering he pushed her into the wall and continued on his way. She watched him continue on his way and pulled herself out of the now badly dented wall.

"Hey! What was that for?" she yelled at him. He stopped and glared over his shoulder at her.

"Mind your own business and get lost." he growled at her then continued round the corner. Zara watched in surprise then growled.

"Jerk." She muttered and left, being in too much of a bad mood to care about Goten's odd behaviour.

Chichi was having a nice cup of tea in the living room with the ever-busy Bulma who was now half concentrating on a laptop.

"I just wish I knew how Pan and the boys were doing out there. I'm worrying myself sick over this whole mess." Chichi said with a sigh.

"You shouldn't worry too much about it. Pan is with her grandfather and Trunks who are both two of the strongest fighters around. They'll easily be able to handle a Dragonball hunt." Bulma comforted her.

"Yea, I guess so…" Chichi said, trying to reassure herself when suddenly the door burst off of its hinges. Both women gasped and stared at Goten who walked in without a second thought of the door.

"Where's Vegeta?" he barked. Bulma just stared in shock at the door but Chichi recovered fast.

"Goten, what is the meaning of this? How dare you come in here and break the door and address us like that! You apologise to Bulma right now!" she yelled, falling into her usual role. Goten ignored her.

"Where is Vegeta?" He asked again but this time more firmly.

"You just missed him. He took Bra out somewhere." Bulma told him. Goten cursed loudly and attempted to sense the prince's power signature but couldn't. Vegeta was suppressing it.

Goten cursed again and as soon as the word was out of his mouth something hard and metallic crashed into his skull that made a 'clunk' sound resonate through the room.

Chichi held her frying pan loosely at her side as she glared at her son.

"You know better then to curse like that and you still haven't apologised!" she yelled at him and raised the pan threateningly. Goten normally would have winced at this gesture and would do as asked just like any other man in his family but instead he barely even moved. In fact he moved so fast that Chichi didn't notice the bottom of the pan burn away from a quick blast.

He stared at her in a mocking way then turned round to leave. Chichi growled and tried to hit him with the pan to make him stop but his head went through the hole. He raise his brow at her then threw the pan away and walked out, leaving the women to stare shocked after him.

"I don't believe it…my baby won't listen to me any more…" Chichi muttered and nearly sank to her knees. Bulma pulled her up.

"There's something wrong here. We better follow." She said and they both followed Goten down the hall and back to the lobby. He ignored them the whole way there but stopped suddenly just as he stepped into the lobby.

Gohan and Videl were at the front desk signing in while the man kept muttering about destructive people that didn't care about procedure.

Goten gave Gohan a calculating stare and watched his brother before Chichi pushed past him and ran to her eldest son.

"Gohan! I thought you'd be busy grading papers all day." she said.

"Me too but Videl talked me into a break." Gohan replied then noticed his brother.

"Hey Goten, how was your-" Gohan began but was cut off as Goten's fist collided with his face and sent him flying into a coffee table that was in the waiting area. The women gasped and all employees froze on the spot to watch.

"Goten! Why did you do that?" Videl yelled at the 27 year old as she ran to check on her husband.

"What? I thought Gohan could take that." Goten answered her in a mocking tone. Gohan gently pushed his wife aside and got to his feet.

"I can. A weak punch like that isn't enough to hurt me but you caught me by surprise." Gohan told his brother and crossed his arms over his chest. Goten glared.

"Good to know settling down didn't make you a complete wuss then." Goten shot back. Gohan glared at him and Goten continued.

"But I'd still like to see just how pathetic you've gotten." He said and lunged forward. Gohan had to duck under the punch and grab a second.

"Not in here! Lets go somewhere else." Gohan told his brother who nodded. They broke apart and started walking to the exit.

"Gohan! Be careful!" Videl called to him. Gohan gave her a 'don't worry' look and left the building.

"Don't worry, Gohan will sort this out…" Chichi told her daughter in-law, hoping to comfort the both of them.

"I hope so…" Videl muttered as she watched the boys take off.

The boys flew out of the city and kept flying until they were far away from all signs of civilized life. They came to a halt over a desert and floated a good distance away from each other, entering a stare down. Gohan broke the silence.

"I know you're not my brother. I worked it out when you attacked me so who are you and what do you want?" he asked. Goten scoffed.

"You really are too smart for your own good, you know?" Goten said in a deep voice that didn't belong to him.

"Just answer the question." Gohan barked.

"Calm down, you're too stressed for your own good. As for your questions I am Bebi and what I want…you'll find out soon." Bebi Goten replied.

"Bebi huh? Well I guess I'm going to have to get you to start talking." Gohan told him.

"I doubt you're that strong. Lets see." Bebi Goten shot back the dematerialised.

Gohan frowned and had to quickly dodge left as a foot appeared sailing towards him. He didn't have much time to keep dodging after that as Bebi Goten got more accurate with every attempt. Soon Gohan found himself on the receiving end of a multitude of fast paced punches.

Gohan's job was more time consuming then his brother's so he had less time to train so his skills were rustier but he was still stronger then his brother as he proved by grabbing an incoming fist and making Goten's chest meet his foot.

Bebi Goten was nearly thrown backwards but Gohan's grip on his arm stopped him. Gohan began to swing it round and let go when it reached critical velocity, allowing the impostor to sail through the air. Bebi had just managed to make himself stop when Gohan appeared above and came down on his opponent's gut, pushing him down and into the ground.

Goten pulled himself up and got ready to attack. Gohan watched him from above and Goten smirked before powering up. Soon a golden aura burst round him and his hair was a matching gold colour while his eyes went teal. Gohan watched him carefully then powered up, staying even without going super. Goten went transformed to level two and Gohan still stayed even. Bebi Goten frowned.

_Of course, mystic._ Bebi thought as he went through Goten's memories of Gohan's mystic transformation that given to him by a god. The one that would supposedly produce so much power that the planet would be torn apart if super saiyan was ever used with it. _That is supposedly as strong as a sublevel three super saiyan. I won't be able to make him reach his fullest as easily as I hoped…_Bebi pondered a strategy then gained an evil glint in his eyes before disappearing.

He appeared in front of Gohan and threw some punches that the older halfling dodged before flying away backwards. Bebi Goten spun round and brought his hands to his side, signalling the familiar signature move of Goku.

"Ka…me…ha…me…HA!" he yelled and Gohan quickly matched his father's move. When the two beams collided, Bebi Goten's was already dangerously close to Gohan's and the scholar struggled to push it back. Goten smirked at the situation and flared his aura out more, accessing his reserves and pushing his beam further forward. Gohan glared at the beams and raised his power level higher. The beams slowly were pushed towards the middle of the boys and with a final scream and burst of power, Gohan reached his full power and sent the beams hurtling towards his brother.

Bebi grinned evilly as the beams got closer and leaked out of Goten's pores in liquid form and travelled down the beams. Whilst Gohan was still preoccupied with putting all his energy into the beam he didn't notice Bebi enter his body the same way he had exited Goten.

Goten fell off of the blasts as he lost consciousness and the beams fired off into the distance and off of the planet, harmlessly dispersing in space. Gohan floated there watching it and panted. Slowly an evil grin spread across his face and when he spoke it was in Bebi's deep voice.

"This is better then I thought. Gohan is much stronger then Goten but Gohan seems to think that there is one other person on this planet at the moment that is stronger then he is. Vegeta…"he said then glanced down at Goten's unconscious form.

"I better pay him a visit and soon." He added and laughed before sweeping up Goten and flying back to Capsule Corp's home base.

......

A/N: ok, not many changes to this one. Just more on Bebi Goten's attitude problem…I'll still like to know what you think so you know what to do! Ja'ne!


	4. chapter 3: fallen prince

Thanks for the reviews!

**Chapter 3: fallen prince**

Gohan flew towards Capsule Corp home base at a rapid speed with Goten still sleeping in his arms.

The massive complex had already called in someone to make repairs after Goten's little rampage. Replacement glass doors had already been placed at the entrance and the repairman had just finished testing the hinges when Gohan landed. He kicked the door open so it slammed into the poor repairman and the glass shattered and rained down on him.

All the people in the small lobby stared as he entered and Bulma glared.

"Oh great. Another door down…" she sighed then noticed Goten and quickly ushered the demi-saiyan to the living room.

"What happened? We've been getting calls from pretty much everyone asking why you two had powered up so much!" she exclaimed as they reached the room. Gohan didn't say a word and instead pushed past her and into the room where he was attacked almost immediately by a grief stricken Chichi.

"Are you ok? What did you do to Goten? What happened out there? Why did-" she started but Gohan pushed her away and dumped Goten onto the sofa before retreating to an armchair in the corner of the large room.

Videl stepped forward to ask if her husband was feeling all right but someone held her back. Bulma shook her head at her.

"Don't. Lets just let him cool down before we question him." She told the younger woman who nodded and they all looked worriedly at the boys.

Vegeta drove down the motorway at top speed. It was strangely quiet on the long stretch of tarmac and there wasn't another car in sight. It was just Vegeta and Bra in their lone convertible air-car driving against the beautiful sunset.

Bra watched the sunset set over the ocean as they drove and sighed.

"The perfect ending to the perfect day." She muttered and only got a grunt out of her father. She couldn't blame him for being grumpier then usual. This day was probably the complete opposite to perfect to him. Shopping was more of a torture for the saiyan prince.

She tore herself away from the view and looked to the back seat of the car where many of the purchases that couldn't fit in the car's boot were lying.

"Can't believe that I bought so much." Bra said, attempting to strike up a conversation.

"You mean that I bought." Vegeta snapped as he drove. Bra laughed.

"Actually mum bought them. But aren't father's supposed to buy nice things for their little princesses?" she asked in a sweet voice. Vegeta bit back any comments and concentrated on driving. Bra frowned at this and started digging through one of the bags.

"What's this?" she asked herself as she felt a small container. Vegeta quickly glanced at her.

"Oh, you bought some scented shaving gel for yourself." She laughed and made Vegeta frown in what she knew was embarrassment.

"Aw, come on daddy, you look years younger without that thing." She told him but he still didn't say anything. Instead his eyes moved to the rear-view mirror to see another car with teenage boys speeding behind them.

Soon the second car came zooming towards them and quickly moved into the second lane, slowing down. The guy and the passenger side looked passed Vegeta and at Bra.

"Hey there. What's a girl like you doing with him?" the guy called from his car and Bra stared at him.

"Yea, why don't you dump the old dude and come hang with us for a while and we'll have some fun!" the second guy called.

Before Bra could answer, Vegeta turned the steering wheel and rammed into the other car. He then leant over and tore out the other car's steering wheel and drove off, leaving the other guys to crash through the barrier and fall into the water below.

Bra frowned at her father then looked back at the guys in the water.

"Sorry guys! My dad just has a bad temper!" she yelled at them.

Gohan's head snapped up. It had been small and had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared but he had definitely felt Vegeta's energy spike. He knew where the prince was.

Gohan abruptly got up and started walking to the door. The women all looked away from what they were doing to see what he was doing. Chichi had been tending to an unconscious Goten, Bulma had been working on her laptop and Videl had been reading. Now they all watched Gohan and Videl got up.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked but Gohan didn't answer and put his hand on the doorknob. He stopped when Videl's hand laid itself on his shoulder.

"Gohan, what is with you tonight?" she asked. Gohan growled. He didn't have time to deal with her so instead of answering he tensed up and purple ki-bolts ran down his body, shocking her and making the lights explode.

Videl jumped back as the glass from the ceiling lamp fell around her and Gohan wordlessly left.

"Gohan?" she whispered.

Gohan flew swiftly out of a window and continued to fly to the spot where he had sensed Vegeta. Soon he was out of the city and flying over the countryside that surrounded it. Gohan guessed that they had gone to the mall that had been purposefully built on the edge of the farms simply because of its enormous size. It had been too big to build within the city so it had to be built outside of its borders.

Soon Gohan had reached the motorway and was following it back round to west city. He was sure that he would find Vegeta there.

_And I'll finally have the strongest life form on this rock at my disposal. Gohan is impressive but if he's right about Vegeta then this is nothing._ Bebi thought from the safety of Gohan's head. He was truly excited over the chance of getting more power. 

It had grown dark. The sun had finished setting and stars now filled the sky. Vegeta continued to drive towards west city. They were nearly there now and only needed to go across a bridge that was over another road that led to Satan city and beyond. Then they would be home.

The prospect of the overly large complex that was Capsule Corp made Vegeta smirk. He just wanted to get back there so he could spend the next few hours in his gravity room. But suddenly he doubted that he would get there any time soon.

A flicker of movement had caught Vegeta's eye. Something had been jumping from lamppost to lamppost at a speed that no untrained person would have picked up. Bra hadn't noticed anything and was still talking as she surfed the radio stations, complaining about rap. Before she could register what happened, Vegeta had grabbed her and flown out of the car, leaving it to crash into a ki-blast.

The princess blinked at the ruined car as it continued to roll out of the smoke, now singed and badly damaged. Bra stared at it as Vegeta lowered them down to the ground and then her blue eyes slowly moved to where her father was glaring. Gohan stood on one of the lampposts with an uncharacteristically evil smirk spread across his face. He had a smoking palm raised and pointed to the spot where the blast had impacted with the car.

Bra glared at Gohan and quickly the temper she had inherited from her father flared up.

"Gohan! Do you have any idea what you just did? You ruined just about all of my new clothes! My very expensive new clothes! You better pay for all of the damage done! And just look at our car!" she yelled, not noticing that Gohan wasn't listening.

"Bra! Leave!" Vegeta's voice cut through the air and startled her enough to stop her little tirade.

She stared at her father.

"But dad, he-" Bra began.

"I said leave." Vegeta said again, scarily calm. Bra instantly shut up and got into the wrecked car. It was actually still able to start up.

Bra gave Gohan and her father one last look.

"You better get him to pay up, dad." She called to her father then sped off down the road.

Gohan watched her carefully then looked at Vegeta. Vegeta stared back with cold coal-black eyes.

"You are not Gohan." He said.

Bebi Gohan didn't even flinch and just stared at Vegeta, still wearing the smirk. Vegeta narrowed his eyes and watched him.

"I can sense Gohan's power signature mixed with another within you. So who are you and why are you inside the brat?" Vegeta asked, moving into his classic pose with his arms folded across his chest.

Bebi Gohan smirked at him.

"Can't you guess what I am?" he asked. Vegeta hardened his cold glare.

"If I had to guess then I would say a Tsfuru-jin but I thought that they were all killed." He told him. Bebi Gohan laughed.

"Well then you are just as stupid as your father." He told the prince then charged, instantly powering up in his mystic form to be equal to a level two saiyan and throwing a punch to try and catch Vegeta's jaw. The prince was thrown backwards but landed on his feet. He skidded to a halt and transformed into a level two super saiyan and charged at the same time as Bebi Gohan and both of them punching at the same time.

Goten groaned as he lay on the sofa at Capsule Corp. His eyes slowly fluttered open and the sight of his mother greeted him.

"Mum?" he mumbled. Chichi let out a small cry and wrapped her youngest son in a tight hug.

"Oh, my baby is ok! Thank Kami!" she cried.

"Mum, can't breath!" Goten said hoarsely and Chichi let go.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you alright?" she asked, her voice full of worry.

"Yea mum, just confused. Wasn't I on a date?" he asked, hoping he didn't faint in front of Paris. Chichi frowned at him but it was Videl who answered.

"You came round here demanding to see Vegeta. Then you attacked Gohan." She said, frowning at the floor. She was worried about her husband.

"I what?" Goten asked. He couldn't remember that.

"You ripped this place up as well. All of the doors from here to the lobby were torn apart. Not to mention that dent in the wall." Bulma said, looking up from her laptop. Goten stayed in thoughtful silence for a moment.

"I guess Gohan hit me too hard round the head. I'm really sorry Bulma." He said then noticed something in the bin. Chichi followed his gaze then frowned.

"You destroyed my frying pan as well." She said in a sad tone.

"Sorry mum." Goten said, although he obviously didn't mean that one.

Chichi sighed.

"It's alright. As long as your ok." She said.

"Ok. I just need a glass of water." Goten said to the women and got up to get one.

Goten walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He stared thoughtfully at it, wondering what exactly happened before downing the cool liquid. He put the glass down then, after a moment, lurched forward. He felt sick and he was in pain. He stayed hunched over the sink and his hands clutched the edge, one hand knocking the glass off of the side, sending it smashing onto the ground.

Chichi heard the glass smash and hurried into the kitchen just as Goten straightened up.

"Are you ok? I heard something…" she trailed off and spotted the shards of glass on the floor. Goten turned to a door that led to a balcony.

"I'm going out." He said simply. Chichi stared worriedly at him and placed a hand on his shoulder before he could take off.

"But Goten you're not yourself. I think you should lie down." She said but Goten roughly pushed her hand away and took off.

Chichi stared after him in shock and sunk to her knees. Bulma came outside and saw Goten flying away then knelt next to Chichi to comfort her.

"What is wrong with my boys?" the poor woman asked. Bulma stared at her and sighed, feeling sorry for the younger woman whom she had always admired for putting up with so much.

"I don't know, Chi…I don't know." She sighed.

Vegeta kicked Bebi Gohan off of him and smirked. He was stronger and faster then Gohan, even after Bebi had Gohan power up to full. Vegeta had gone to level three and was still a step ahead of him.

Bebi Gohan fired several blasts at Vegeta who slapped them all away as if they were flies before launching himself forward and punching Gohan across the jaw and sent him flying back. Vegeta charged a blast and Gohan's eyes widened.

"Wait! You can't kill me, if you do then Gohan goes with me!" Gohan warned the prince in Bebi's deep voice. Vegeta shrugged it off.

"Why would that concern me? You'd be gone and I doubt that the boy will stay dead." Vegeta said, full of confidence.

Bebi Gohan glared then phased out of sight. Vegeta reabsorbed the ki-blast in his hand then quickly shot his elbow backwards, hitting Gohan hard in the gut as he came back into view.

The saiyan prince turned and watched him as he doubled over. Bebi Gohan frowned and floated backwards. Vegeta smirked at him.

"Looks like you are all bark and no bite." Vegeta told him. Gohan's face contorted into a frown and then the possessed scholar disappeared as he quickly lunged forward at the prince, starting the fight again.

Vegeta was blocking Bebi Gohan's attacks almost lazily. Gohan threw a round house, followed by two quick jabs then another kick then a spinning kick followed by a lucky spin punch that hit. Vegeta stumbled backwards in the air and then had a kick to the chest that sent him flying backwards. He managed to stop himself and the two warriors entered a stare down.

Goten arrived on the scene just as the two entered it.

"Hey! I'm here to help!" he called but Vegeta brushed him off.

"Well I don't need it." He said and jumped towards Bebi Gohan. Before he could get too close a blast sailed towards his back and he managed to spin round just in time to deflect it.

"Vegeta glared at Goten whose hand was still out stretched.

"I didn't say who I'd be helping." The demi said with a sly grin.

"True. And he will be extremely helpful." Bebi's voice said and made Vegeta turn round to glare at him.

Gohan smirked then both brothers charged at Vegeta, who quickly learnt just how hard it was to fight two saiyans.

Goten had gone super saiyan two and swung at Vegeta who ducked just as Gohan threw a kick at him that caught his stomach. Goten landed a heavy blow to Vegeta's back that sent him flying towards the ground but Gohan was down there waiting for the prince and kicked him back up.

Vegeta stopped himself in mid air and paid great attention to the two demi-saiyans. The brothers exchanged a glance and then they both started circling Vegeta at a tremendous speed and eventually they had made a type of ki-hurricane.

Vegeta couldn't move without being cut by it. He soon had cuts all the way down his arms and on his cheeks but couldn't do anything to get out…except maybe one thing.

"What's the matter Vegeta? Can't you get out?" Goten's voice called to him.

"Don't think he can. Must be too weak." Bebi's voice mocked.

A vein on Vegeta's forehead bulged and he began to power up. His aura flared violently around him. His power burst outwards and knocked the two demi-saiyans out of the ki-hurricane.

But un-noticed by Vegeta was a silver liquid that went flying into his every wound while he was busy screaming and powering up.

Finally he stopped and levelled off. Vegeta breathed heavily and looked at both boys who were lying on the ground, unable to fight. Vegeta sighed and powered back down to his regular form before noticing something.

The second power signature that was inside of Gohan wasn't there anymore. It was…

"Silly Vegeta. Like I said, you're as stupid as your father." Bebi's voice said. It took Vegeta a while to realise that the sound had came from his own lips.

"Who are you?" he demanded. He had to buy some time to get his energy back up and push the parasite out.

"I'm Bebi. One of the victims of the saiyan race." Bebi's voice said through Vegeta's mouth.

"What?" Vegeta asked and Bebi laughed.

"The saiyans attacked the Tsfuru-jin home world, led by your father. To keep Tsfuru-jin species alive they created a genetically superior being. That being was me. They sent me into space where an alien doctor called Myuu found me. And now I'm here for revenge." He explained.

Slowly some of Bebi's own facial features seemed to appear on Vegeta's face. The red lines that had been on his face appeared on Vegeta's. He was losing control.

"What did you do to the boys?" Vegeta asked, struggling.

"Simple. Before I leave a body I implant an egg inside it. It then controls that person when I'm gone. Isn't that right Gohan?" Bebi said as he walked up to the saiyan scholar. Gohan raised his head and smiled.

"Yes Bebi." He said with a nod.

"You see? Oh and Vegeta, don't bother trying to fight me. You've already lost!" Bebi proclaimed and powered up, his hair turning a white colour and his laughter filling the air.

Vegeta had indeed lost.

......

A/N: there we go, another chapter over with. And for the next two chapters I have a something different planned. But you'll have to wait and see to find out! Ja'ne!


	5. chapter 4: warning

**Chapter 4: warning**.

Bra lay on the sofa watching a late night movie whilst Bulma paced. Chichi and Videl had left over an hour ago and now the two girls were virtually alone in the house. Most of the employees had left and there was only the odd security guard roaming the warehouses and grounds.

"Oh, I wish I knew what was happening." Bulma said for the umpteenth time. Bra sighed and sat up, patting a space for her mother to sit in.

"You know dad can look after himself. Besides, he's stronger then Gohan." She said matter-of-factly. Bulma sighed and allowed herself to fall onto the sofa.

"I know but a lot of weird things have been happening today. First Goten starts acting strangely and then Gohan. I just hope that the same thing doesn't happen to Vegeta." Bulma admitted then looked to her daughter that had a look of concern etched on her teenage face.

"But you're probably right. Vegeta can handle himself." Bulma told her. Bra smiled and nodded before going back to the movie. Bulma sighed and looked to the window.

_I just hope that he gets back here soon._ She thought.

Vegeta and the two demi-saiyans landed outside of Capsule Corp. Vegeta concentrated and his hair returned to it's dark brown colour and the red lines disappeared. He looked to the men beside him.

"Wait here." He told them then walked into the building.

Vegeta wondered down the corridors almost automatically. He ignored the security guards, who were used to this because Vegeta never liked the idea of others guarding the house when he could simply blast all trespassers away. Soon he found himself on the house floor and he walked into the living room.

Bulma and Bra looked at him as he opened the door and Bulma was soon on her feet.

"What happened with Gohan?" she asked, not bothering to hug him simply because she knew him so well. But he wasn't doing what she expected. Normally he would give a reassuring yet snide remark about what happened. Instead he ignored her and walked to a shelf where several photos were kept.

He scanned them then noticed a picture with the whole gang gathered in it. Everyone on a beach, from Yamcha by a barbecue with Tien and Chiaotsu next to him then Goku and Chichi sitting with Gohan, Videl holding a five-year-old Pan next to Uub then Vegeta and Bulma holding four-year-old Bra and then Goten Trunks and Zara standing next to Marron and her parents, Krillen and 18 to master Roshi then finally the great Ox-king stood behind the group with Buu and Hercule.

Vegeta looked from face to face, remembering who was the strongest then finally settled on a smirking Zara staring at Trunks and Goten who had been 'goofing' off.

"Vegeta, are you all right?" Bulma asked as she cautiously approached her husband. Instead of grunting and telling her 'fine' he stayed in silence.

"Vegeta! Talk to me! This is too cold, even for you!" she shouted at him, still expecting some kind of reaction but instead he took the picture out of its frame and pocketed it.

"Mum, what's wrong with dad?" Bra asked. Bulma shrugged then glared at her husband. She had had enough of people acting this way.

"Vegeta! You better say something or no more gravity room!" she yelled. Vegeta glanced at her and then at Bra and slowly turned round. Bulma was slightly surprised by this but stood her ground.

"Well?" she asked. Vegeta frowned.

"Your next." He muttered and a silver liquid burst out of him and shot at Bra first. Both women screamed and Bra fell to her knees. Bulma didn't know what to do.

"Vegeta? What's happening? Answer me!" she yelled at her husband as Bra stood up. The same silver liquid shot out of her and covered Bulma as she put up a lame attempt to defend herself. A few moments later the liquid slid out of her and back to Vegeta.

Hard breathing was filling the room. The room was large and lit by luminescent light that had only been installed in recent years. On one of the walls was decorations of a past warrior that hadn't been disturbed by the new occupant of the cottage that was further down the hill. Two wooden training swords hung above a framed fighters gi top that looked torn from frequent use. In the corner next to it was what looked like a circular control panel with a monitor and a flashing display on the screen reading 500Gs.

Finally in the centre of the room was Zara. She was in a handstand doing press ups and counting as she did so. This was her dojo and she was doing one of her usual late night training sessions.

She stopped doing her press-ups and gracefully flipped round to her feet. A towel that had been resting on a rack on one of the walls floated over to her and she quickly wiped off all sweat from her work out. A button on the control panel pressed itself and the gravity lowered to the normal level of planet earth.

Zara looked at the monitor as the time appeared on it and sighed.

"I have got to stop training so late." She muttered and turned towards the door just as it burst open.

A silhouette of a man filled the door and Zara sighed.

"Vegeta, what are you doing here? It's kinda late to spar." She told him.

"That's not what I'm here for." He told her, staying in the shadows of the door.

Zara frowned when she heard his voice. It was deeper then normal.

"Look, I'm tired and really don't want to be playing games now. What's going on?" she asked.

"Why don't you just read my mind?" Vegeta asked in his deep, mocking voice. Zara sighed and rolled her eyes. She really wasn't in the mood.

She stared directly at him and concentrated and a few moments later the look of mild concentration was replaced with a deep frown.

"Who is Bebi?" she asked and took a step back. Vegeta took a step forward and Zara could see his face. His hair was white and red lines were going up from his eyes.

"I am." He said and smirked. Zara had heard enough.

"So the fights with Gohan and Goten was you switching bodies…" she said and quickly sized Vegeta up. She wasn't sure if she would be able to knock him out of Vegeta or kill him.

"Yes. And you see as part of my revenge and over all goal…"

"You want to control everybody." She finished. Bebi Vegeta nodded.

"Smart girl." He commented then disappeared. He moved so fast that he caught her across the jaw as she tried to dodge and sent her flying through the roof of the dojo. He flew through the hole in the roof after her and kicked her across the length of the roof before appearing above her and slamming her through the roof, making a second hole.

She landed hard against the floor, making it crack underneath her. A groan escaped her lips and she felt a foot land on her back and start pressing hard against it.

Bebi Vegeta watched her carefully as he pressed his foot slowly into her back. Zara cried out in pain and when she opened her eyes they flickered from gold to red.

The next thing Bebi Vegeta knew, he had been thrown off of Zara and was being telekinetically slammed into a wall. She got to her feet and glared at him.

"Look you, I said I wasn't in the mood and I meant it!" she yelled and charged up a blast. She let go of a TK hold on him the same time as she threw the blast and hit him hard on the shoulder. Bebi yelled out in pain then fired his own back at her but she wasn't there any more. He looked up just in time to see her appear in front of him and kick him hard in the jaw. As the kick sent him up she hit him hard in the gut and chest and sent him flying through the wall behind him.

"Guess I did get to teach him a lesson after all…" Zara muttered and scanned outside the hole to see any movement.

She stayed in a stance and slowly glanced behind her and swung round to punch Bebi Vegeta as he came up behind her but he grabbed her wrist. Zara glared at him swung her leg up to hit him hard in the side but he only winced and didn't let go. She did the same three more times then groaned in frustration and powered up instead. This caught him by surprise and his grip loosened. Zara powered up energy to her foot so it glowered brightly before kicking him one last time with her mega kick and sent him flying across the floor.

Zara let out a deep breath and rubbed her wrist, watching Bebi Vegeta carefully just as something unexpected happened.

Gohan and Goten appeared behind Zara and grabbed both of her arms. She cried out in surprise and struggled to get them both off.

"Goten? Gohan? What the hell?" she yelled and continued to struggle and even powered up but she couldn't break out of their super saiyan grip. She growled in frustration and glared at Bebi Vegeta.

"So what? You couldn't take me on your own so you had to get in these two?" she asked. Bebi laughed then punched her hard in the gut, making her double over but the two demi-saiyans held on to her. Bebi Vegeta then lifted up her head by her hair.

"You know what? You are pretty. I can see why he likes you." He commented then sent his knee slamming into her jaw before she could figure out his meaning.

Bebi Vegeta sent his knee into Zara's gut a few more times and she slowly began to power up. Once more he attacked her and her aura shot outwards in a blaze of red that sent Vegeta stumbling backwards and made Goten let go. Zara continued to power up and kicked Gohan in the gut, making him let go.

She then turned to Bebi Vegeta but got a face full of silver liquid. Zara cried out in shock as it hit her and tried to claw it away but it still got inside of her. The next thing she knew she was on the floor gasping for breathe and doing her best to fight Bebi off mentally.

"Just give up! You can't win!" Bebi's voice told her but she ignored it and kept fighting. That is until Goten slammed her head into the ground and she lost concentration.

_Trunks! _

Hundreds of light years away a certain lavender haired boy shot out of bed in a cold sweat. He ran a hand through his hair as he remembered what he thought might not have been a dream. He had been sent a telepathic message in the form of a dream once before and he thought that they were definitely similar.

"Might have just been a nightmare…" he thought out loud but found himself pulling on some jeans and a t-shirt anyway as he ran to the cockpit.

In there there was a videophone that worked through a satellite. He just hoped that he was close enough to earth to use it.

He quickly looked at the time that was displayed in luminescent red letters then quickly phoned Zara's dojo's phone.

After a few short rings Zara's face filled the screen looking pale and sweaty.

"Yea?" she asked.

"Hey, It's me. You ok?" Trunks asked and watched carefully as Zara's face slowly looked surprised then serious.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. Is everything all right down there?" he asked back and still studied her face. Something seemed off but he wasn't sure what.

"Yea, just peachy. How's the dragonball hunt going?" she asked

"It's finished. We have all seven and should be back home in about a week. And just in time too. I think I would have gone crazy if I had another month of those two." He said with a laugh then noticed Zara's face look like it was calculating something. It quickly passed.

"Good thing you're coming back then. I'm looking forward to it." She told him. If he looked closely then he probably would have noticed an evil glint in her eye but he didn't pay attention to it.

"Me too. It actually feels pretty good seeing you again." He said but something was happening at the dojo. Zara quickly looked to the side and frowned then looked back at him.

"Look, I'll have to talk to you another time. See you in a week, Trunks." She said, putting empathise on his name. Then the screen went black.

He leant back in his chair thoughtfully as Pan sleepily walked in.

"What's going on?" she asked. Trunks smiled at her.

"Nothing, just me being paranoid." He told her.

Back on earth, Bebi Zara looked over at the boys with her arms crossed and a scowl across her face. Vegeta had attempted to blast her while she was having the conversation with Trunks but luckily Gohan had stopped it and now both he and his brother held the prince tightly.

She knealt down to his level and shook her finger at him.

"Bad saiyan. you almost ruined the surprise." she told him then punched him across the jaw and stood back.

"What should we do with him?" Goten asked.

"Nothing. I like his body." Bebi said in his deep voice that didn't suit the body he was in.

The silver liquid slowly flowed out of Zara and back into Vegeta, leaving Zara to collapse. Gohan looked to Bebi Vegeta.

"What now?" he asked.

"Get your phone book out. We have some friends to call." Bebi announced as he fished out the photo from his pocket and looked over the faces on it.

......

A/N: another chapter done. Now what are the rest of the Z gang going to do against the saiyans and Zara? Find out next time.


	6. chapter 5: planetary control

Thanks for the reviews

Rejhan: ok, Trunks is kinda thick at times...but you can't blame him. He had just woken up and he hadn't really seen anybody he knows except for Goku and Pan for a year. That and he's a guy...-runs from male protests- joking!

Leelo77: as big a Vegeta fan i am...I would be afraid if he took an interest in Zara. It was Trunks he meant but Bebi only said it to confuse/tease her before punching her face in...Hope that clears it up.

**Chapter 5: planetary control**

Marron came down the stairs of her parents' small house after a long lie-in to see both her parents already eating breakfast. She had been visiting them the night before and had slept over.

Krillen was now about 60 and looked it with his now grey hair. He looked up at his daughter and smiled.

"Hi sweetie, finally up?" he asked. Marron grunted and poured herself some coffee.

"Yea, and I really didn't want to, too but I've got a shift at the café today." She said and sat down between her parents. 18, still looking as young as she did 20 years ago, smiled.

"Well you've still got a few hours until then." She pointed out. Marron nodded.

"I know. I was thinking about visiting Goten quickly before work. He was acting weird yesterday and I'm kinda worried." She told her mother who nodded.

"So I take it you still have your little crush on him." She asked and sipped her coffee, smirking slightly all the while. Krillen choked on his coffee and Marron got up.

"Mum!" she cried then smiled, "I don't know. He's got a girlfriend. Again. Look, I'll see you guys later, if I want to get over to Goten's and still make work on time then I have to go now." She said and left just as the phone rang. #18 said goodbye to her daughter and Krillen answered the phone.

"Kame house, Krillen speaking." He said.

"Krillen, it's Bulma. You need to get over here right away. It's really important." The voice on the other end said and then she hung up. Krillen stared at the receiver and shrugged.

"What was that about?" 18 asked. Krillen put the phone down.

"It was Bulma. Apparently something is going on at Capsule Corp.," he told his wife and after a few minutes they had decided that it could be news on the black star hunt and left.

When they did finally arrived at C.C an aged Yamcha and Tien was waiting for them**. **Chiaotzu had been left at home.

"Hey guys!" Yamcha said happily as they touched down. He had aged the most and now had a receding hairline. Tien looked over at the newcomers and nodded his head in a hello, keeping all three eyes trained on them. He had aged more gracefully over the years then Yamcha had.

"Hey! It's been a long time!" Krillen called and ran over to his friends. It really had been too long since their last meeting.

"Yea. Say, do you know what this is about?" Yamcha asked and received a shrug from Krillen.

"Nope, we were just told to get over here..." was the reply. It turned out that no one knew what was going on.

"Krillen? Guys?" someone called and the group turned to see Chichi and Videl coming out of the building and towards them.

"Chichi? Hey, good to see you! What's going on?" Krillen asked. The two women shrugged.

"Bulma isn't telling us. But something is definitely going on. They're all acting strangely in there." Videl told them.

"Who's acting strange?" Yamcha asked. The two women glanced at each other.

"You'll see." Chichi said just as Bra appeared in the entrance of the building and started ushering them inside.

They were led through the building where all the employees were all working but the atmosphere was different. No one talked to them, not even the man behind the front desk as he signed them in. It was almost eerie.

They were led upstairs and went into the living room where the others were all waiting. Vegeta sat in an armchair as if it were a throne with Bulma standing at his left side. Then round the room stood Gohan, Goten and Zara all with their heads down.

The group of humans looked round the room as Bra took her place on Vegeta's right. Yamcha was the one to break the silence.

"What's this all about? I've got things to do." He said, even though this was a lie. He had been retired for years after making enough money from his baseball career.

Vegeta chuckled and watched the group carefully.

"It's simple. I have a…I guess you could call it a project I'm working on and I need you all for it." He told them. Tien frowned.

"You mean that you called me out of training for a project?" he asked, Tien was the only human fighter out of the original gang that still trained.

Krillen stepped forward with his arms folded.

"What did you want us to do?" he asked. Vegeta smirked.

"All you have to do is allow me to take control of your body and plant an egg inside you so I can surprise your little friends." He said simply.

The reactions varied from each person. Most thought that he had finally snapped but some of the others put a connection between this and the weird events of the day before.

"You're not Vegeta…" 18 said and glared at him.

"And this has something to do with everyone powering up yesterday…" Tien added and Vegeta got up.

"It appears I should give you more credit in the future." Vegeta said in a deep voice that didn't belong to him. The group of humans didn't have much time to wonder about his voice because the others had surrounded them.

Gohan attacked Krillen and sent him sailing through a window and Goten went after Tien, who ducked just in time and had enough sense to go out through the window with the others. #18 was about to go after Gohan after he attacked Krillen but ended up having Zara's fist make contact with her face. Yamcha didn't know what to do or who to help and watched helplessly. Bra pushed Videl into Vegeta and moved on to attack Yamcha while Bulma dealt with Chichi.

As soon as all the fighters had left the room via the ceiling or transporting, the familiar silver liquid flowed out of Vegeta and into Videl. She screamed as it hit her and Chichi screamed as well when she saw it. But the screams soon died down when Bebi had complete control over Videl's body.

The woman looked at both of her hands then turned to Chichi who had paled considerably. Videl's mouth turned into a smirk before the silver substance shot out of her and at Chichi, making the older woman scream one last time.

Bulma let her friend go and Bebi Chichi walked to the window to watch the fights.

Goten was throwing punches at a confused Yamcha who was doing his best to block. Luckily for the ex bandit Goten hadn't yet transformed.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked the halfling but got a fist to the mouth in response.

"Nothings wrong!" Goten yelled and continued his attacked with a volley of punches to the chest and gut. Yamcha growled in frustration and grabbed Goten's incoming fist. He powered up and was about to hit Goten hard when the silver liquid shot up at him from behind and seeped into his pours before he even knew what was happening.

Gohan threw two punches left and right at Krillen who ducked under before trying to get away. Gohan just followed round with a kick that hit Krillen hard and threatened to not only break his arm but some ribs as well. The little man winced at the pain.

"Gohan! What's gotten in to you? It's me!" He yelled.

"I know who you are." Gohan said and phased out of sight just to come up from behind and put Krillen into a tight hold. Krillen struggled with all his might and couldn't break free. Soon his blue aura was flaring madly when he finally saw Yamcha floating in front of him. A moment later and Bebi had passed from Yamcha to Krillen.

Tien was surprised to find that Bra actually knew what she was doing. He had grabbed her wrist to stop her attacks but she had simply sent a blast flying into his chest. Tien floated away from her and watched the princess carefully. Soon she charged again and kept him on the run, throwing punches left and right. She may have caught him off guard with the ability to fly and fire ki-blasts, after all he had heard that nobody was training her, but he was stronger, faster and more experienced then her.

He continued to move backwards when he bumped into a wall of muscle. Gohan was behind him and Goten had just joined Bra. Now he was in trouble!

Tien ducked just as Gohan threw a punch aimed at his head, resulting in a miss. The other two halflings threw ki-blasts but Tien phased out of sight and Gohan was left to take the impacts. He continued to stay on the run when Gohan appeared in front of him. Bra and Goten came up from behind and boxed him in. he was trapped.

All three charged up ki-blasts and fired, leaving Tien with no choice but to power up and allow them all to hit. After the blasts had all hit Bebi jumped out off Yamcha and into the smoke. When the smoke cleared Bebi Tien floated there, gasping.

18 threw several punches at Zara who dodged, blocked then returned and added a kick of her own that hit 18 hard on her right side. Zara turned into a spin kick and 18 was sent flying but the cyborg quickly recovered and threw blasts at the younger woman. Zara phased in and out of sight as she dodged them and got close enough to grab 18's arm and twist it behind the cyborg's back. Zara pulled the arm far back; threatening to break it and then let go and kicked #18 forward, where Tien caught her.

18 looked up at Tien but didn't even have time to scream as Bebi switched bodies again.

Bebi 18 led the others back inside and Bebi switched back to Vegeta and laughed.

"Well that's Earth's last line of defence out of the way. Now for the rest of the planet and the first part of my revenge will be complete!" he announced.

Over the next week nobody was safe. Bebi transferred from body to body, laying eggs in each one. It didn't take long for most of the planet's populace to be controlled. Very few people escaped.

The great Hercule, and so-called champion of earth had been signing autographs at the Satan city Mall along with Buu when Bebi had showed up there. Before they knew it, people being controlled by eggs while Bebi floated above the crowd were attacking them on all sides. Hercule thought most of the people off, getting tired quickly, while Buu watched Bebi.

"Buu! I could use some help here!" Hercule yelled. Buu quickly turned to start helping his long time friend when a heavy blow landed on his neck. Buu's rubber like body just cushioned the blow and all signs of it quickly disappeared.

Buu turned round to stare at Bebi. Soon they had launched into a fight that ripped apart the surrounding area. Bebi had eventually worn Buu down enough to enter his body but when he planted the egg and left, Buu put the egg into a cocoon and spat it back out.

Bebi had then set his sights on Hercule and fired a blast at the aged champ but luckily for him Buu got in the way and acted as a shield. Bebi got frustrated by this and had continued firing. If it weren't for sheer luck then both Buu and Hercule would probably have died.

Bebi fired a beam of energy at them. Just at the last possible second Uub appeared and grabbed the two before using the Instant translocation technique he had learnt from Goku to make a quick escape. When Hercule opened his eyes he found himself miles away from Bebi along with Uub who quickly explained that he had been sensing something weird happening and had followed it to the mall.

They were among the only ones that escaped as Bebi continued to control the population of earth. Not even the Kami of earth was safe.

Piccolo had been mediating when Bebi came to the lookout. Dende had been watching him partly out of worry. Piccolo had been training for hours before then and had worn himself out but wouldn't allow anything to heal him. Instead he had gone into meditation. Now Dende watched him just in case.

Piccolo's eyes opened and he looked to the front of the lookout as a scream reached his ears. Both Namekians jumped to their feet at the sound of it and ran round the side of the building to see Mr Popo on the ground.

"What happened?" Piccolo asked as Dende helped the genie up.

"Someone attacked me and ran into the throne room." He said groggily. Piccolo went to check just in case and as the other two waited, a silver liquid slide out of Popo's pores and into the young Namek.

When Piccolo returned he was greeted by the silver liquid jumping into him. He was still tired from his training and since Bebi was getting stronger with every person he went into, Piccolo became the next person to fall at the hands of Bebi.

By the end of the week Bebi controlled the whole planet and the stage was set to surprise three unsuspecting saiyans.

Trunks looked up from the control panel and looked out of the view screen. A grin washed over his face and he turned to the others who both sat with annoyed expressions on their faces, looking away from the other. Goku had been annoying Pan by complaining about being hungry and Pan had yelled at him because of it.

"Hey guys, take a look at this." Trunks told them and the two looked up at the view screen. Soon grins replaced those annoyed looks.

Earth was shown on it, slowly getting bigger.

"Is that?" Goku asked.

"Yea Goku, it's home." Trunks answered.

"We're home? I get to see everybody again? Alright! Speed this thing up Trunks! I can't wait to get back there and tell everybody everything!" Pan cheered, lifting up the little robot she had been holding, who screeched in surprise.

"Ok, calm down Pan." Trunks said and turned back to the controls, still grinning like a mad man.

They really didn't expect a thing.

......

A/N: ok, I wasn't overly pleased with this chapter but hopefully that's just me. If it sucked then sorry, I just wanted to put the focus on some of the other characters for a while. After all, they sorta just disappeared in the series.

Hopefully the ending wasn't that bad. If this was an episode then it would have been shown in flashes and with a narrator but hopefully this worked just as well. But enough of my talking, I've got another chapter to write. Ja'ne!


	7. chapter 6: discovery

Looks like FF.N is back to normal. I was really peeved off when I uploaded chapter 5 to find that the ending was cut off…anyway, least it's back to normal now…

Thanks for the reviews.

Chico: GT really liked to over do it with the suspense…well the whole of Dragonball did. "And our heroes have the light bulb! Now tune in over the next 5 episodes to see if they can screw it in!" Then again I'm just as bad with the cliffies! & Chi, best not insult Trunks around Eli. He takes after his dad…heh…

Rejhan: glad you liked. It always annoyed me that the humans got completely pushed out. You'd think they would get a little bit more involved since it's their planet…meh; I'm going to just have to find a way to throw them in more often.

Trugeta: thanks. I thought the chapter on C.C's atmosphere was almost pointless there since I didn't put in much detail. But as long as some people got the creepiness of it all then my job is done. As for Zara…I'm still not telling.

Now for the next chapter!

**Chapter 6: discovery**

The squid shaped space ship that had been made by Bulma six years ago now hurtled towards the planet at an incredible speed. It was glowing red as the air around it heated and as it broke through the first few layers of earth's atmosphere it impacted with a certain tiled surface.

The ship had hit the lookout and after much bouncing and skidding, it finally came to a halt. A few moments later and all three passengers got out.

"Geese Trunks, nice landing…" Pan muttered as she jumped to the ground. Trunks followed her with a small robot clutching his shoulder.

"I said I was sorry Pan. Landing just happens to be harder then it looks and I still haven't had much practise." Trunks explained, rubbing a bruise that had appeared on his head and was already disappearing.

"Oh yea, seven times and an emergency landing isn't enough to figure it out." Pan said sarcastically just as Goku dropped down next to her holding a bag.

"Would you two stop arguing? We're home! And before it blew as well!" he said. The other two nodded and agreed then noticed Dende and Mr Popo hurrying out of the throne room to meet them.

"Goku? Trunks? Pan? You're back?" Dende asked as he saw them.

"Yea, it's us! And we brought gifts!" Goku said with a grin as he opened the bag to reveal the seven dragonballs.

Dende and Mr Popo's eyes lit up at the sight of them and Dende stepped forward.

"Good work Goku. I'll handle it from here. Can't let those go into the wrong hands now can we." He said and took the bag. Pan stepped forward with a confused look on her face.

"Wait, Grandpa still needs to get wished back." She said making Popo and Dende exchange a glance.

"Well we have to wait to ensure the planet doesn't explode first," Mr Popo explained, "besides, we don't know if you'll be able to bring them back again in time if we do use them."

Pan frowned at this.

"But he has to use them!" she insisted but Goku stopped her.

"It's ok Pan. If it keeps the earth safe then I'll stay in chibi form. Besides, it's not so bad." He assured her. Pan frowned.

"Are you crazy? You keep being mistaken for a kid! And kids can't do anything! And now I shall forever be known as the freak who is older then her own grandpa!" she yelled in a huff but allowed Mr Popo to take the dragonballs inside.

Pan started to ignore her grandfather out of annoyance and Goku decided to leave her alone so he turned to Trunks.

"So what are you going to do now that we're back?" he asked. Trunks shrugged.

"Maybe find Goten and hangout until mum tracks me down and forces me back to the office." He said.

"What? You mean you're not going to find me as well?" a new voice asked and the two men looked round to see Zara leaning against the ship. Goku said a quick 'hi' and Trunks ran over and gave her a hug whilst Dende went unnoticed wearing a scowl.

Trunks stepped away from his old friend and stared at her.

"What are you doing way up here?" he asked.

"I was at your parents house and sensed you. And since your parents want to see you I thought I'd come and drag you there." Zara said.

_Didn't he think that I could have handled that? _ A voice asked in Zara's head the same time Trunks admitted that he was bound to be dragged to his parents eventually and Pan decided to start telling Dende and Zara about 'her' adventures in space.

_How would I know? It's not like I'm going to go prying in his mind. He probably just thought I was more suitable to get him down there. _ This shut the Namek up as she would have been less odd then he would have been 'dragging' Trunks to his parents. So he stayed quite.

Pan was pointing to the little robot as she talked. It had a round body with retractable arms and legs and a single infrared 'eye' that was raised at the top of its body.

"And this is Gil. We met him on a space station when we were re-fuelling. He had been up for sale and Trunks had dropped the dragon radar in front of him. He ate it and integrated it into his systems so we had to trade something for him just to get the radar back. But he's kinda it now." She explained. Zara nodded and stared at the machine with an intense stare that made it cringe.

"Intriguing." She muttered. Trunks was staring at Gil as it shuddered.

"Hey, it's all right. This is Zara. I told you about her." He told Gil. Zara gained a crafty smirk.

"Oh? You told him about me did you? What did you say?" she asked him. Trunks went slightly red.

"Um…didn't you say my folks wanted to see me? We better get over there right away!" he said and quickly walked/jogged to the ship. Zara smiled after him then glanced at Goku.

"I'll tell Vegeta hi for you." She said then went into the ship with Trunks, offering to pilot after the 'superb' job he did when landing. A few minutes later Goku and Pan left for Chichi's house.

The flight to Capsule Corp was a dull one. Zara piloted the ship to C.C but Trunks almost felt like he was getting the cold shoulder from her. She had acted perfectly normal on the lookout but now she was deathly silent. This time Trunks couldn't miss the signs pointing to something being wrong.

When they landed outside the hanger Trunks stopped her to ask about it.

"What's going on?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"I don't know what you mean." She replied and started walking towards the house. He grabbed her arm and turned her round.

"You're acting…differently. What's wrong?" he asked again but she just stared at his hand in a way that he had only seen her use on things she considered breaking. He was about to press further when a third person joined them.

"Trunks! Get over here!" the voice of Vegeta yelled at them and Trunks looked towards the house to see Vegeta standing in his classic pose, his black flame like hair being easily identifiable even from a distance.

"Father?" Trunks said and let go of Zara. Vegeta nodded in a typical greeting then turned to walk inside. Zara frowned at Trunks and went in after Vegeta and Trunks was left to follow.

Trunks was led to the living room where his mother was waiting for them. She had been working on her laptop when they came in. the room itself had been almost restored. The window had been fixed but if Trunks had thought to look up then he would have seen several planks of wood and some plaster over the hole in the ceiling.

Bulma looked up as the three came in and frowned as she got up. Trunks smiled and moved to greet his mother but she quickly got out of the way.

"Mum? Is everything all right?" he asked. Bulma didn't answer him and instead looked to Vegeta.

"Hurry up with him. I can't stand to look at him." She said then left in search of her daughter.

Trunks stared in confusion then turned to the other two.

"What was that?" he asked them. Zara had sat herself down in one of the armchairs and wasn't looking at him as she answered.

"That is a sane person's reaction to a filthy saiyan." She said calmly. Trunks stared at her in shock but was even more shocked when Vegeta didn't do anything.

"Just what is going on here?" he asked. Vegeta laughed.

"Do you remember when you were in the hospital after rescuing that little boy?" he asked. Trunks was surprised by this but could remember it perfectly.

_Trunks, Goku and Pan had rescued a small boy when they were looking for the dragonballs. The dragonball and the boy had both been on a ship that was being pulled in by a star. Luckily Pan had found the boy and had taken him back to their ship with the others then had headed towards the nearest planet where the boy could be treated._

_The planet had been just like earth only far more advanced in technology. The place was beautiful and the three saiyans ended up spending most of their time outside because of Goku's fear of needles. _

_The only problem was that in the great out doors on that planet there was no edible food around for them to eat but Goku refused to go to the hospital's cafeteria. It took a doctor to tell him there would be no risk of getting a shot in there to convince the saiyan. All three had eaten hungrily in there and Goku ate the most. By the time Trunks and Pan were done Goku was still eating and asking for more._

_The doctor had watched all three with an interest and then when Trunks and Pan had finally finished he turned to Trunks and asked if he wanted to take a tour while Goku was finishing up. Trunks had eagerly accepted and they had left._

_The first place they visited was a room with electron microscopes. Trunks had been fascinated by them and started examining them right away._

_Trunks turned to ask the doctor a question but the doctor pinned him against the microscope he had been looking at. _

_"I have you now saiyan!" the doctor said in a deep voice that wasn't his. Trunks immediately knew what this meant._

_"Bebi? You're not dead?" Trunks asked as the doctor started to choke him._

_"Far from it!" Bebi had said then had launched into an explanation._

_"I had managed to enter Dr Myuu before he escaped and then I killed him. Then I planted a dragonball he had been hiding on a ship after killing its crew and getting it into that star's gravity. And now saiyan, I'm going to control your body and take out your friends." Bebi had announced._

_"Oh no you're not!" Pan's voice greeted their ears and Trunks smirked. The next thing Bebi knew, Goku had blasted him away from Trunks._

_"We knew you were here the whole time. It's next to impossible to suppress your ki when you attack someone." Goku told him and Bebi cursed. They had sensed him when he swapped from the boy to the doctor._

_Bebi glared at the three saiyans then jumped up, out of the doctor and attacked Goku, just to be hit back onto the floor. Bebi then growled and did an energy attack that hit all three saiyans and sent them flying to different parts of the room as well as cutting Trunks's arm. Bebi had then turned into liquid and jumped into Trunks's cut._

_The other two were trying to work out what had happened when Trunks fired a blast at Goku. The other two immediately realized where Bebi had jumped to and Goku had prepared a blast._

_"No grandpa! You'll hurt Trunks!" Pan yelled and Goku hesitated just long enough for Bebi to get up close to fire a blast at Goku. Goku stared at the blast as it got bigger but just before it was fired, Trunks had turned and the blast had been thrown into the wall._

_Bebi was shocked._

_"How can you still have some control over your body?" Bebi yelled. Trunks's face turned into a smirk that could rival his father's._

_"You figure it out. Now get OUT!" Trunks screamed as he began to power up. A second later he was transformed into a super saiyan and he was about to transform again when Bebi was thrown out._

_Shortly after that they had lost sight of Bebi. He had escaped to a spaceport and had jumped into one of thousands of people._

"Of course I remember that. It's not everyday that you go through something like that. But how do you know about it?" Trunks asked his father. Vegeta laughed and turned away from him.

"I was there." He said in Bebi's deep voice and slowly his hair turned white.

Trunks's eyes widened when he heard the voice. He couldn't believe that Bebi had come to earth. His mind began to race at light speed to work out a plan of action and ended up doing the first thing he could think of.

"Zara, get out of here! That's not my dad!" he yelled at his friend, not taking his eyes of off his father the whole time.

"Don't tell me what to do." Zara told him in a calm voice. Trunks's face contorted in confusion and he looked over his shoulder to find that he couldn't move. He could just see Zara sitting casually with her left index and middle finger up against her temples and a mild look of concentration on his face. She was telekinetically forcing him to stand still. But why?

"I guess you're tiny saiyan brain is trying to figure all of this out. It's quite simple really. You see when I leave a person I leave an egg inside them. And as they're still exhausted from me taking all of their energy and controlling them then these eggs easily control them. But the problem with you is that I've waited so long to make your egg control you, you've been able to regain your energy and should now be able to fight off you're egg like you did with me. So I've gotten a little help." Bebi informed Trunks and then looked to Zara.

Trunks couldn't believe it. Why hadn't he noticed before? Everyone had been acting weird since he had arrived at C.C and yet he was too happy to be home to realise. But he didn't have enough time to dwell on his mistakes. Something was happening.

Bebi had given an order and now Zara was right in front of him, smirking.

"This might sting a bit." She warned in a scarily sweet voice and the next thing Trunks knew, a blinding pain overcame him in the front of his head. He didn't even notice Gil leave his shoulder for the first time that day just to be thrown aside because of it.

Trunks sank to his knees, crying out in pain and felt something else happening. A second pain had appeared and he could feel his control slipping.

The screams continued and then they just stopped. Panting filled the air and Trunks could finally move again. A friendly hand helped him up and he could see Bebi Vegeta in the corner smirking.

"Lets pay the others a visit, shall we?" he said.

Pan and Goku touched down on MT Poataz. They grinned at each other and raced to the house that they hadn't been able to see for months, Chichi's house.

Inside Chichi and Videl were working in the kitchen when the door burst open.

"I'm home!" Pan yelled and ran inside, closely followed by Goku. Pan ran to her mother and hugged her from behind.

"You won't believe everything that happened! It was incredible!" Pan said then realised that her mother wasn't listening. Pan backed away and noted that neither woman seemed to be pleased that they were there. It was like they hadn't even noticed them…

"Hey Chichi, that smells great!" Goku said. After seeing what had happened to his granddaughter he decided to try. Again there was no response and Chichi just pushed past him to put a tray of food on the table.

The two saiyans looked at each other and shared a confused glance before they both sat at the table. Goku sighed and picked up something from the tray. Instantly a spatula came flying down and smacked it out of his hand. Goku stared at Chichi.

"That's not for you." She said calmly and walked away just as Videl put down a large bowl of food.

Goku looked dumbfounded but it soon past. He stared at the large spread that was already on the table. The relatively large table was almost covered in plates and bowls of food.

"But can't we have a little? There's tons of food here!" Goku exclaimed and eyed a particularly large plate that had his favourites stacked high on it.

"Sorry, but all of it's for us." A new voice said from the living room. Goku and Pan turned round to meet the hard stares of Gohan and Goten.

"Daddy!" Pan exclaimed and jumped down from her chair so that she could run over to her father and give him a hug. Gohan didn't return it and instead frowned down at her. Pan realised that her father was being very stiff and looked up at him.

"Dad?" she asked unsurely and in answer Gohan slapped his daughter through a wall.

Goku gasped and glared at his son.

"Why did you do that?" he yelled, knowing Pan was ok as he could sense her getting up.

Both brothers stared at their father before laughing at him and powering up. This surprised Goku but not as much as it did when two blasts sailed towards him and blew him through the wall.

Goku hit the ground hard and when he looked up his sons were already towering over him.

"Who are you?" he asked as he made his way to his feet. Both his sons looked at one another then put on a hurt act.

"Geese dad, it's me, Gohan." Gohan said.

"Yea, and I'm your other son, Goten. Or have you been away too long to remember that?" Goten asked. Goku frowned.

"I would never forget my sons and they would never attack someone unprovoked. Now who are you really?" Goku asked but this time just got laughed at.

"Daddy! Why did you do that?" Pan's voice asked from beside Goku. Goku looked round to see his granddaughter standing further away with her hands on her hips. The brothers were staring at her too.

"Get out of here, brat. This is grown up talk." Goten snapped. Pan growled at this.

"Who are you calling a brat, baka?" she asked. Goten growled and fired a blast at her. Pan yelped and dived out of the way. She scrambled to get back to her feet but Goten was already on her and was throwing punches in rapid succession at her. Pan was doing her best to dodge all of the jabs and was forced to move backwards the whole time.

Goku watched and tried to get over to help just to have Gohan grab him and toss him back to the ground.

"Oh no you don't." Gohan said, shaking his finger at Goku. Goku just frowned and looked over at his son and granddaughter.

Pan continued to dodge but Goten was getting faster. He feinted a blow to the head and managed to land a blow to her gut. Pan doubled over and grunted before Goten's leg swung round and sent her flying. She bounced and skidded across the floor then flipped onto her feet and settled into a stance.

"Fine uncle, if you wanna play rough then so will I…" she muttered then ran back to Goten, kicking of the ground and flying towards him when she was halfway there. She turned into a spinning kick as soon as she was close enough and it was thrown aside. She then spun round to backhand Goten but her fist was caught. She struggled to get it free and even powered up, a white aura blazing around her but Goten just powered up and then went super and laughed.

"Looks like poor little Pan-chan is stuck." He said and powered up a blast, ready to hit her at point blank range.

Goku gasped from the sidelines and pushed past his eldest son to reach his granddaughter. But what happened next nobody expected.

Goku wasn't going to make it in time, even if he transformed. Goten was about to release the blast but then was caught of guard as Pan screamed and was engulfed by a golden light. Goten was thrown from her and when he looked back Pan was standing in a stance with golden hair and teal eyes. But her hair was different to the ordinary super saiyan; well at least to all the males. Instead of her hair pointing up it pointed out at all angles. And there she was glaring at Goten as if nothing had happened.

Goku nearly tripped as he stared at her but quickly came to a halt.

"Pan…since when have you…how did you…?" he trailed off, completely confused. Pan's glare just turned into a smirk.

"Oh, do you like it? This is the first time I've shown anyone." She said simply. Goku was still dumbfounded.

"But how…?" he asked again.

"It was a lot of the little things, ok? You had ran off, I had school trouble, Goten and bullies to compete with as well as living up to the family name. It just built up ok. But it doesn't matter right now!" she explained and then, with a burst of power, she charged at Goten and started throwing punches that he found next to impossible to block while still in his surprised state.

It quickly passed and soon Goten was easily weaving in and out of the punches and kicks and then he hit Pan away with one good, hard hit to her forehead.

Pan quickly recovered and lunged for another attack. Goten ducked under her punches and then, in a surprising move, powered up to the next level. Pan was thrown backwards by the sudden force of his golden aura hitting her and landed further away. And then, with a quick ki-blast, she was out cold.

Goku's eyes widened as Pan was hit and he immediately charged at Goten without thinking. Goten lazily slapped Goku away as he was still at level two and Goku was in normal mode. Goku landed on his feet and growled just as two new arrivals landed.

"Goku! Don't hurt them they are being controlled by a guy named Bebi!" Hercule yelled from the back of Buu. Buu was flying towards them and touched down next to Pan. Hercule immediately went to check on her.

Goku watched his two sons carefully but spoke to Hercule.

"Bebi is here? But how?" he asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine Goku." The champ said and picked up his granddaughter. Goku growled and looked up as a final group appeared.

Bebi Vegeta was floating with Zara, Trunks and Bra further away. Vegeta had his hair white again with the red lines on his chin and over both eyes. Goku cringed when he saw him.

"Vegeta…" he mumbled then decided to take the leader role.

"Hercule! Get Pan out of here!" he yelled then spotted Trunks. "Trunks? What are you doing with him?" he asked and the others all looked to the lavender haired prince.

"He has been reborn along with everyone else on this planet. They serve me now." Bebi Vegeta said. Goku frowned and looked to Trunks again.

"It's true Goku. Why don't you join us?" he asked with a smirk.

"No, I have a better idea." Bebi Vegeta announced. Goku sunk into a defensive stance.

"Hercule, get her out of here." Goku stressed. Hercule nodded and before he could say another word, Buu had grabbed him and Pan and had taken off.

Bebi watched them go and allowed them to leave. He looked back to Goku.

"Now lets finish this." He said. Goku nodded and the two began to power up. Goku burst into level one and continued to power up with his golden aura blazing brightly. He could see Bebi Vegeta powering up but he wasn't transforming.

_Guess Bebi is stopping Vegeta from transforming. _Goku thought as he donned the characteristics of a level two. His hair was as sharp as knives now and his muscle mass had doubled but still he continued with Bebi Vegeta staying even the whole way. Finally Goku burst into level three. His hair grew to his knees and his eyebrows were wiped from his face while his eyes gained pupils. He was at level three but for some reason something felt different about it but Goku didn't have time to think about it. Bebi Vegeta had floated down to the ground.

"Now to see just how strong you really are." Bebi said. Goku frowned at him then both seemed to disappear as they attacked.

Goku ducked under a punch then delivered one of his own that was pushed aside. Goku then used a roundhouse that hit its target but Bebi Vegeta returned it with one of his own and then added a blast that sent Goku soaring to the ground. Goku skidded across it, making a large trench as he did and was knocked out of level three. All of the spectators gasped.

Bebi laughed at the saiyan 'child' and raised a palm over his head.

"Looks like you can't hold onto your power any more. How sad. I guess I better just end this." He said then grinned evilly, deciding to make completely sure that there would be no possible way for Goku to survive.

_People of earth. It is I, your new leader! Give me your energy so I can wipe out the saiyan menace once and for all! _ He told his people and all over the planet people began to do as told. Outside of Chichi's house all that were present powered up and gave their energy to Bebi Vegeta as he formed an apocalyptic sized ki-blast that was a coal black colour.

Bebi Vegeta smirked as the ball grew and then threw the ball at Goku, as it finally grew big enough.

"Revenge death ball!" he yelled and it flew towards the helpless Goku. The saiyan couldn't do anything to stop it as it came towards him. There was no way that he could escape…

Everybody watched as the ball blocked Goku from view and hit the spot where the saiyan had laid. It blew and when all smoke and debris settled, there was no sign of the heroic saiyan.

......

Yay! I finally finished! This was a very long chapter that probably could have been split into two but I really didn't want to do that. I've had enough of how Bebi took over…

Now the big question is how will Bebi be beaten without earth's great hero? You'll see, ja'ne!


	8. chapter 7: the void

Thanks for reviews!

Chico: heh, better watch him. Use the FPOD on him and if it blows up then it's the Bebi problem

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Rejhan: yes, pan is super! Both Pan and Bra should have reached super in the series just like the boys did and now I'm halfway there…

Trugeta: I've made changes before this but Pan is one of the biggest, just not the first…

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**Chapter 7: the void**

Pan groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She could remember the fight vividly but she didn't understand why she was now so cold. At least she didn't until she noticed she was on a snowdrift with Hercule sitting next to her.

"Hey, you feeling better now Pan?" he asked, his old face showing lines of worry all over. Pan sat up and frowned, having to grab her head.

"Yea, but how'd I get here?" she asked. Hercule smiled slightly then nodded towards Buu who was looking off into the distance.

"Buu flew us up here. Should be safe until Uub sorts everything out. If he can…" Hercule said and sighed. Pan stared at him then looked down. She couldn't sense Goku.

"What happened?" she asked in a panic. Hercule sighed again and explained from the beginning. He told her that Buu had briefly been controlled by Bebi and had found out about him and that Uub had saved them and then he told her about what happened in the fight with Goku. Pan couldn't believe it.

"No! Grandpa Goku wouldn't be beaten!" she yelled. Hercule rested a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"I'm sorry Pan but we saw it. We hung back and saw the whole thing. Then Buu took us up here." He said. Pan brushed his hand off and jumped to her feet.

"Then we can't just hide up here! We have to do something! Uub might need are help or…something!" she yelled, practically in tears. Hercule rested both hands on her shoulders and stared her straight into the eyes.

"I'm sorry Pan but there's nothing we can do. Uub is the strongest and our greatest hope. We can't risk getting in the way," he told her but she pushed him off and fumed. She was about to yell at her grandfather when the sky began to go unusually black, the horizon being the only place where light still seemed to exist.

"What the hell is going on?" Hercule asked the question that was on all three's mind.

Bebi Vegeta smirked up at the dragon. The power he had gained from all of his followers had made his appearance change greatly. Now his eyes were the same glassy blue as Bebi's own. He also now wore the same outfit Bebi had in his own form and his hair curled forward to mimic his horn. Now whenever he spoke it was in Bebi's deep voice.

The dragon now looked down at Bebi Vegeta and his five bodyguards expectantly. He was waiting for the wish.

"I wish for a planet to be created that is exactly like planet Plant before it was destroyed." Bebi yelled at the dragon. The mighty red dragon's eyes glowed and then far above earth a rocky planet with several empty cities materialised.

"Your wish has been granted. Farewell." The dragon boomed in it's deep, thunder like voice. It then glowed yellow and disappeared. The Dragonballs floated off of the ground then shot into the air but before they could get too far they stopped then floated down to Zara, circling her.

"What you do that for?" Trunks asked her. She folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes.

"We don't know how powerful the explosion will be when this planet blows. Planet plant could be effected by it." She said simply. Bebi Vegeta stared at her then nodded.

"Good thinking." He said then looked to Dende who was standing further away from them. The Dragonballs floated into the discarded bag and that then floated to the young guardian.

"Take them back to the lookout. I have to check that everything is in order for the big move." Bebi Vegeta said and then all of them took off.

Pan stared at the sky. She was angry and upset and now she couldn't take her eyes off of the newly risen planet.

"But that means they were used…the planet will explode again…" she muttered then growled.

"That's it! I refuse to sit here! We are going to find out what Bebi is planning and then make our move!" she declared. Hercule panicked.

"No Pan! Uub can handle it! You can't take on Bebi! He beat a level three super!" he yelled at her. Pan just frowned at him with a determined look on her face. Hercule knew that arguing was futile when she used that look. So soon they were flying towards West city.

Goku clenched his fist, wincing in pain after the bruises Bebi had given him. He was surprised to find that the ground was hard like a tiled surface.

_Guess I'm on the road to Yemma's _he thought and slowly opened his eyes. The sight that greeted him was not the ogre king's gigantic desk.

His surroundings were endless. There were no signs of life in any direction. Not a hint of an ogre, tree or even a sky. Everywhere he looked there was nothing but a thick, grey fog. It reminded him of the hyperbolic time chamber only instead of white this place was a murky grey colour.

"This isn't the check in station." He decided then looked up. There was no halo on his head. That meant he was alive.

"Odd." He thought aloud then decided to explore. If he was going to find away to defeat Bebi then he would need to get out of this place.

He trudged through the smog for what seemed like hours and soon he felt like he was going in circles. The only problem was that there were no distinguishable features to tell him if he was indeed going in circles.

He was about to give up on walking when he stepped on something soft that squealed.

"Hey! Watch it! I'm lying here!" a small green creature yelled at him. Goku thought it looked like across between a beaver and a frog. It had shiny green skin, a black and flat tail and it wore a type of armour on his chest. He had a cute, beaver like face with whiskers that was now glaring at Goku.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't see you there." Goku said in surprise as he stared at the little creature. It was almost as tall as he was.

The creature sighed and sat down.

"Well…be more careful next time. You never know what might be hiding in this fog. You could have stepped on a harpy and then you would have been in for it." The green guy told him. Goku worked out its gender from its voice. The creature now continued.

"The name's Sugaro by the way." he told the saiyan.

"Err, I'm Goku." Goku said, unsure and decided to sit down opposite Sugaro. A second creature that looked just like Sugaro sat up next to him.

"This is my son, Shusagoro. So, how'd you get here?" Sugaro asked, staring at Goku intently. Goku squirmed under the gaze.

"Um…actually I have no idea."

In the centre of the universe was the planet of the kais. It was a peaceful sanctuary that had been slowly recovering after the events of 20 years ago.

The elder kai sat with his legs crossed, reading some manga he had no doubt materialised when the tall figure of Kibito Kai appeared falling into a pond. A massive splash rose out of the pond and drenched the elder, ruining his dirty little manga. The elder fumed then glared at the figure of Kibito climbing to his feet.

"Do you mind?" he asked. Kibito ignored him and panicked.

"Oh kami, I can't believe that happened." Kibito said, staring franticly at his hands.

"What?" the elder asked with a heavy sigh, throwing his manga behind him.

"I had been checking on earth when a crisis became known to me. A creature known as Bebi was taking over the whole planet. He was fighting Goku and had thrown the final blow when I decided to interfere…" the younger ki confessed, looking now nervously at the floor. The elder frowned.

"How many times have I told you not to interfere with the affairs of mortals?" the elder snapped. Kibito kai winced.

"But honourable elder, this creature could branch out and become a threat to the entire mortal realm if he wanted to! Besides, that isn't the worst of it…I grabbed Goku and transmitted myself here but the shockwave from Bebi's attack made me…drop Goku on the border of the living dimension and the dimension of the dead." He said. The elder's eye twitched.

"You mean not only is the universe under a potential threat but the only one able to stop it is stuck in the void?" he asked in a yell. Kibito Kai gave a shaky nod and the elder slapped his face.

"Oh boy…"

"The Void," Sugaro began, "is a dimension between that of the living and that of the dead. Escape is near impossible. This place feeds on your energy so the use of Ki attacks is also impossible. This place is so large that you may never run into another person for the rest of your life, although I think it's impossible to die here, so you were pretty lucky to find us kid."

Goku had asked about the foggy place and Sugaro had given an explanation. Now everything looked hopeless.

"Guess I am." Goku said with a sigh and glanced around his surroundings. Then he remembered something Sugaro had said.

"You said near impossible. That means that there is a way out, right?" Goku asked eagerly. Sugaro nodded.

"Well there is away…you see every 1000 years a stair way opens that will lead out of this place. The only problem is that you have to past a test to get past. And if you fail then you…get eaten." The green, beaver man said. Goku grinned.

"Great! How long ago was it since that last happened?" he asked eagerly. The father and son duo exchanged glances and Shusagoro was the one that answered.

"Um, bout 999 years, 364 days and 23 and a half hours ago." The little creature squeaked.

"That means we have half an hour until we have to find the place." Sugaro said. Goku smiled. That had to have been sheer luck.

"Ok, so what's the test?"

"You have to answer three riddles correctly in a row." Sugaro told him. Goku's face dropped. He was **very** bad at riddles.

"Oh goodie…"

Pan snuck round the outer wall of Capsule Corp's home base, keeping her power level down as low as humanly (or as saiyanly) as possible. Buu was behind her doing the same thing but not being as sneaky as her. She was pressed against the wall as he just trudged normally after her.

Pan came to the corner and looked round it. There was a huge crowd gathered by the entrance chanting Bebi's name. It almost reminded her of when her grandpa Hercule would meet with the public…

Bebi floated above the crowd, holding on to a smirking Bulma. Around him floated Gohan, Goten, Bra and Trunks. Bebi looked over all of his people then spoke,

"My people! As you all know, I have wished for a copy of planet plant, the Tsfuru-jin home world, to be created. Now we have the great planet of my origins and we shall all live there, that becoming our centre of command. Now thanks to Bulma's and Capsule Corp's work over the past week we have a way to get everybody up to Plant!" he announced and cheers erupted. Pan frowned from her place.

"Sounds like they're all going to Plant. We have to get up there!" Pan whispered. Hercule, who had been behind Buu, went wide-eyed and pulled his granddaughter round to look at him.

"Are you crazy? We won't be able to get there with out any body seeing! Bebi is going to have everybody looking out for us! We won't be able to leave the planet! And even if we did, then what? We can't take Bebi!" Hercule whispered franticly at her, straining not to yell. But Pan had an answer for everything.

"We'll think of something when we get there. Besides, Buu can use his magic to make us ship." She told Hercule then started walking away from the site where Bebi Vegeta had unveiled the large ship that Bulma had been working on.

Hercule and Buu ran after her as she walked and then flew to an area outside of town. There were several boulders lying in a field and Pan pointed at them.

"If Buu can use his magic to turn them into a space ship then we'll be set!" she said when Buu caught up with her carrying Hercule.

"What makes you think Buu will be able to turn a couple of rocks into a working space ship?" Hercule asked sceptically.

"Well, he'll just have to make it in to a three person ship-shaped thing that's airtight then we'll use our ki to get it off the ground. Shouldn't be too hard." Pan said, sweat dropping. Hercule panicked and began to think it'll be a better idea to simply sneak onto the big ship even if they probably would get spotted. Buu seemed to think it would work though.

"Buu try." The pink blob said and pointed his head tentacle at the ship. A beam of pink light shot out of it and hit the biggest rock and then a three-seater space pod stood in its place but with no visible signs of a propulsion system.

Pan and Hercule stared at it as a door lifted up with a 'whoosh' sound.

"Will it keep in enough air for the trip?" Pan asked. Buu nodded.

"Buu sure." He said. It was good enough for Pan and she jumped into the pilot seat. Buu sat in the seat behind her and then all three looked to Hercule.

"Come on grandpa, get in!" she called. Hercule glanced nervously at the ship then scrambled inside. After all, he didn't want to be left alone or to lose sight of Pan.

The door closed with another 'whoosh' and Pan frowned out of the view screen.

"Ok Buu, I'm gonna need your help in this. It should be just like flying only we're pushing our ki under the ship as well…" she said, unsure. Buu just nodded and the two concentrated on getting the ship off the ground.

The ship shook as it slowly began to rise. Hercule grinned as he watched through the view screen.

"It's working!" he cried. Pan smiled and then she and Buu focused on getting it to move. It moved forward slowly at first but soon it shot upwards and picked up speed as it left the atmosphere, threatening to break up. It didn't take them long to break through and turn towards plant. They would easily make it in a few minutes.

Goku, Sugaro and his son began to approach what looked like a giant staircase with a statue on either side of it. Each statue was of a person, the one on the right was a man and the one on the left was a woman. Each had eagle like wings wrapped round them and a cloak over them. Then their legs looked like the hind legs of a lion. Each wore a hood that covered their hair and each had a beak like nose and sharp eyes. It was almost like those stone statues were watching their every move.

The three stopped to stare at the two statues then decided to move on, not sure where the thing that was supposed to test them was. As soon as they came to the bottom step, the two statues came to life and were no longer stone but flesh and blood.

"No one may pass unless they can answer these riddles three." The two statues said in unison. The trio all stepped back.

The two sphinx like creatures wasted no time in starting.

"We shall start with an easy one. A man at a fair ground said to a boy 'if I cannot write your exact weight on a piece of paper then I will give you 100 zeni. However, if I can then you must give me 100 zeni.' The young boy decided to take this challenge, as he could see no scales or measuring equipment. The boy ended up having to pay the man. How did the man win?" the man statue asked. The three glanced at each other and Sugaro was the one to venture a guess,

"The man wrote the words 'your exact weight' on a piece of paper?" he said, unsure. The male statue nodded his head.

"Next question, and this will be harder! I soar without wings, I see without eyes. I've travelled the universe to and fro. I've conquered the world, yet I've never been anywhere but home. Who am I?" the female asked and this one required more thought.

"Well…our imagination sees without eyes and flies without wings, it makes it's own universes as well and visits them but it never leaves are head…" Shusagoro muttered aloud then clapped his hand to his mouth when he realised what he had done. The woman statue peered down at him then nodded to say he was correct.

"This is your last riddle. Answer it correctly and you will be free to pass. Give the wrong answer and face the consequences," both statutes said perfectly in sync with each other," Then all thy feculent majesty recalls, The nauseous mustiness of forsaken bowers, The leprous nudity of deserted halls -- The positive nastiness of sullied flowers. And I mark the colours, yellow and black, that fresco thy lithe, dictatorial thighs."

Each person wore a mask of thoughtfulness as they pondered the answer. This one was the hardest.

"It sounds like and insect or something not well liked…but what?" Sugaro asked himself. Goku looked at him and thought.

_An insect? Well there is only one I know that's yellow and black…_the saiyan thought then found his voice. He was certain.

"Is it a bee?" he asked.

Instead of receiving a nod and being allowed to pass, the two statues donned matching smirks. Their wings burst open, making the cloaks come flying off, revealing their black hair. Both had long hair that looked almost like a lion's main, only the woman's was longer.

"It appears we dine." They said in sync with each other still. Both Sugaro and his son gained panicked looks while Goku gained his serious game face.

"Not if I can help it." He muttered and drew his hands back.

"Ka…me…ha…me…HA!" he yelled and thrust his hands forward. Instead of a powerful beam only a puff of smoke came from his hands.

"Oh yea…I forgot about that!" Goku said with a nervous Son grin and a quick scratch of the back of his head. This made the other two face-vault before jumping up and dragging him away.

"Ok, next time you be quiet." Sugaro yelled as he ran, pulling his son and Goku after him. The two ex-statues swooped down to try and grab them but just missed. They flew back up and then dove at the three, this time grabbing the back of Goku's blue gi-top. Goku let out a startled cry as he was forced out of sugaro's grasp. The male had grabbed him and flew back into the air. Goku looked up at him and growled.

Goku twisted himself round to be able to kick the sphinx man sharply in the gut, surprising him and winding him so that he let go of Goku. Goku fell and grabbed hold of the mans paw and swung so that he was thrown away. Both the man and woman glared at Goku and charged up blasts. It appeared that they were able to use their energy there while others couldn't.

They both fired beams of energy at Goku who just managed to escape unscathed. He continued to fall as the two blasts blew. The resulting explosion was huge and since the two sphinxes were relatively close to each other when they fired, they were caught in it and were ripped apart.

The resulting effect was catastrophic. The whole dimension seemed to twist and bend. The staircase collapsed into itself and a type of black hole took its place. It was a vacuum and it was pulling everyone and everything into it.

Goku, Sugaro and Shusagoro had nothing to grab onto but fog and were quickly pulled into it and thrown out into darkness. It was completely black but they could see stars everywhere. It would have been amazing if there was any air but they soon found themselves having to hold their breaths.

Goku looked for any possible way to save not only himself, but also the father and son duo, but there was nothing. Goku could feel his lungs burning for oxygen but there was none. He continued to look franticly around when he noticed a meteor heading straight for them. He could have tried to blast it away but that would have used up his last breath. This was it…

The meteor hurtled towards them and it felt like they were going in slow motion. The meteor was right in front of them when a beautifully familiar face appeared in front of them and grabbed hold of all three. The next thing the trio new, they were on green grass under a purple sky filled with moons and plenty of air to breath.

Goku sucked in as much air as he could and sighed in relief.

"Thanks Kibito kai…" he muttered and then collapsed, completely drained from his stay in the void.

......

Yes! Death to Sogorouku's space and enter the void! I've wanted to write this for ages! Well here it is, one of the big changes to the plot. The void is hopefully far better then that weird and somewhat confusing Sogorouku's space.

Now let me explain why I didn't have Pan sneak aboard the ship like she did in GT. Krillen is not stupid. That's why. All the human Z gang are guarding the ship to make sure no one gets on who is not supposed to or causes any trouble, there for if Buu sneaked on then they would recognise his energy signature and clothes. They are not stupid. If you saw a big pink blob in a nappy, and cape with a head tentacle/antenna on his head then you'd think it was Buu too…

Well that's about it. Be sure to tell me what you think, I've been thinking of this as well as other things for ages so hopefully it was ok. Ja'ne!


	9. chapter 8: complications

Thanks for the reviews! & It appears that you liked the change. Yay!

Rejhan: spider. That's the answer to the last riddle in the last chapter.

Son Oliver: you're the only one that pointed that out…but you're going to have to wait and see what I do to Goku. –Insert evil laughter-

Dark Psy: there will be a big change to the plot. The ending will be completely different as well as most of the dragon saga but since this is a Goku story (for the most part) then you can guess what I'm going to do. SSJ4 and Goku in his chibi form are both going to be important in the over all plot.

Ahem, anyway, time for the next chapter!

**Chapter 8: complications**

Goku was shook awake. He really didn't want to wake up but soon the memories of Bebi and what was going on down on earth hit him full force and he jumped to his feet.

"What's going on?" he asked, not realising that he had accidentally sent Kibito kai flying backwards, into the beaver people he had rescued.

"Nothing…just thought we should wake you." Kibito croaked and rolled off of Sugaro. He never was going to get used to how strong this 'mere mortal' was.

Goku relaxed and broke into apologies before the elder silenced him.

"Look Goku, we know what's happening on earth and we are concerned. Bebi seems to want to branch out and control more people. Now seeing as how that…thing defeated level three then we have a proposal. If you promise to beat Bebi then we will train you up here." He said then watched Goku's reactions very carefully.

Goku was astonished. Training from the supreme kais? That was incredible! So Goku nodded enthusiastically making the two kais smile.

"Good to hear it Goku. Now lets begin straight away, shall we? Drink this," the elder said and materialised a flask of red liquid, "and go meditate over there. We'll begin in a few hours."

He threw the flask to the confused Goku who stared at it.

"What's this going to do?" he asked confused. The elder frowned at him.

"Never mind that, just do as I say!" the old kai snapped. Goku quickly downed the all of the liquid and ran to the cover of a tree. He decided it was best not to argue with one of the top gods…

Pan stared round the corner of a large building. She and the others had landed roughly outside the city's walls and had quickly snuck in before Bebi and his people arrived. It was now several hours later and the large black ship of Bulma's had finally landed on a raised platform. Now the trio were trying to work out a strategy.

"Look Pan, this is hopeless!" Hercule spoke from behind her in a hushed whisper. "Bebi is stronger then us! And he has a whole horde of followers including your parents and the rest of those saiyans! It's pointless to be here! Lets just go hide and let Uub handle it!"

"It's not hopeless! We just need to make a plan!" Pan whispered back, getting truly annoyed with her grandfather.

"Look, we just need to spy on them and find out their plan. Then we need to sabotage it," she told them. Hercule still looked sceptical.

"Oh no, I don't know Pan. We could get caught and ruin things for Uub if we got to close..." the would-be champ muttered but Pan wouldn't hear of it.

"It's the only thing we can do! So are you with me or not? If you're not then I'll just go over there with out you." she announced. Hercule wiped his hands down his face and sighed but when he looked back to his granddaughter, she had already gone.

"Oh…I'm getting to old for this." He muttered and rounded the corner to find her.

Pan crouched low as she ran behind some barrels. She had to get a good view of what was happening.

Everybody that had been travelling on the ship was now gathered around it waiting to be told what to do and where to go. Bebi and Bulma had not yet appeared and Pan guessed they were discussing the plans inside the ship still. But she couldn't see the others…

"Hey, what are you doing all the way other hear?" Trunks voice asked, making Pan jump. She looked round wildly and then saw him with his back to her, on the other side of the barrels and talking to someone else.

"I don't know. Wasn't sure if you'd forgiven me for nearly melting your brain." The other person said back. It was Zara.

"Come on, everybody gets a little mad when someone gives them that big a headache." He said and took her arm.

"True but it's not like we get that much pain inflicted on us normally," she said, obviously only including humans in that comment. Trunks raised a brow at her anyway.

"I guess you're right but I remember roughing you up quite a bit in some of our spars…" he commented and stared at her with a smirk. Zara looked back at him, mirroring his expression. She then gave him a playful shove.

"Don't flatter your self." She told him and they both walked off.

Pan sighed in relief as she watched them go.

"Phew, thought I was caught…better get to that ship for a good view." She muttered then picked up the pace as she crawled.

She looked over the top of the barrels when she came to the end of the row to make sure that no one was looking then decided to make a run for the ship. Just as she started to do that though, she collided with a wall of muscle that sent her bouncing backwards.

Pan groaned then looked up. What she saw made her gasp and curse. She had just run into her father who was now frowning down at her.

"Now Pan, it's not nice to sneak around behind our backs." He told her then grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her up despite her protests.

"Although it is a good thing you're here. Now you can see lord Bebi and rejoin your family. You'll like that, won't you, Pan?" he told her in a stern, monotonous voice as he dragged her towards the ship. Pan's eyes widened and she dug her feet into the ground.

"No! Daddy! You can't!" she begged but Gohan wouldn't hear of it and just pulled her over to Videl who was waiting by the ship's ramp. Bebi had just stepped out side.

Pan stared at Bebi in shock as the Tsfuru-Jin surveyed her.

"So we have a new member of our little race here, do we? Excellent." Bebi Vegeta said and began to walk towards the 14 year old. Pan looked round for a way out then settled a glare on Bebi Vegeta's face. Her golden aura then burst outwards, surprising Gohan into letting go and Pan took to the air as the final changes of the super saiyan transformation took her.

The only problem now was that she could not go anywhere. Goten and Trunks were surrounding her, each powering up to level two. Zara joined them, raising her level to match and Gohan did the same in his mystic form. There was nowhere for Pan to run without one of them catching up.

Bebi floated up to stare at Pan right in the eyes.

"You can't go anywhere so be a good girl and join your family. It's not like you have a choice." Bebi scoffed. He reached out for the young saiyan girl but a blast came out of nowhere and hit his hand, blowing up harmlessly.

"I think she does." A new arrival interjected and everyone turned to see Uub floating above the ship. Pan was the only one that was happy to see him.

"Uub!" she exclaimed and the man gave her a quick nod and a smile as a 'hi' before glaring back at Bebi who was staring thoughtfully back at him.

"Uub huh? The boy who was trained by Kakarot? Hmm, I see no threat." Bebi said as he continued to stare at the 20 year old. Uub just frowned and lowered into a stance.

"Trust me, I am and I'm about to stop your tyranny right here." Uub announced in confidence, secretly unsure of himself. After all Goku couldn't defeat this guy…

Bebi and all of his minions scoffed at this and Goten and the others floated in front of their master.

"Should we take care of this so called warrior, sir?" Goten asked with an evil glint in his eyes and a smirk to match.

"After all you don't want to waste your strength on someone like him." Trunks added but Bebi didn't agree.

"No, I want to test my powers out on something and who better then the student of Kakarot? You just watch the girl." He ordered and grabbed Pan then thrust her into the group before him. Zara caught her and the group moved out of the way. Bebi and Uub watched them and took this as a sign to begin.

Uub phased out of sight and appeared before Bebi, throwing left and right punches at him at break neck speeds. Bebi weaved effortlessly between them then shot out his fist as soon as there was an opening. Uub leaned as far backwards as he could to avoid it and then as the punch brought Bebi practically on top of him, Uub thrust his far leg into Bebi's gut, throwing the tyrant backwards and into a tower, making an indent in it before falling down.

There was a huge reaction from the crowd below. It had only appeared to last a split second to them and they were all panicking from seeing Bebi on the floor. Bulma regained her wits first and grabbed a mega phone she had brought with her just in case.

"People! Don't worry about lord Bebi! He will win! Just leave this area! Explore the city!" she yelled at them and slowly they all began to comply with what the 'second in command' said.

Up in the air, the demi-saiyans weren't listening. They all frowned and then all the guys flew in front of Uub to defend Bebi whilst Trunks and Gohan checked on their 'master'. Bebi didn't appreciate this.

"What are you doing?" he barked out as he rose to his feet, glaring at them. The boys all looked at each other then back at Bebi.

"We were just helping…" Goten began but Bebi cut him off with a growl. Bebi then looked calculative at them and then powered up, allowing Vegeta's golden aura to wash over him before making it violently expand outwards and throw the un expecting saiyans into walls, knocking them all out.

Pan heard Zara gasp as it happened and momentarily thought that it was her being louder then she thought. She looked up into the woman's face and saw her staring down at Trunks in shock.

Zara began to float forward and Bebi noticed her.

"You stay there girl, unless you want to end up the same way!" he yelled harshly at her and Zara immediately stopped moving. Pan continued to stare at her.

"Why are you listening to him? They need our help! You don't have to listen to Bebi! So go help dad and the others!" Pan cried and frowned at the woman holding her captive.

"I can't…" Zara muttered in a harsh voice.

"Yes you can! Go down there and help our friends! The Zara I know would go with out all the hesitation!" Pan scolded but soon regretted it.

Zara scrunched her eyes closed and let out a low growl.

"Shut UP!" she suddenly yelled and the next thing Pan knew, Zara had thrown her face first into the wall.

Pan slid down the wall and landed with a sickening thud right in front of Hercule and Buu, her golden aura disappearing as she reverted back to her normal form. Hercule ran forward to check on her.

"Thank kami, she's alright, just unconscious…" Hercule muttered then stared right up at Zara who was now clutching her head as she stared painfully at Trunks.

Uub and Bebi Vegeta stood their ground, floating above a fleeing crowd.

"So you just get rid of your loyal followers for no reason then?" Uub asked as he glared coldly at Bebi. Bebi laughed at him.

"You clearly have no idea how villains work. It's what we do. Besides, they are easily replaced. Now are we going to have this little fight for the human's freedom or are you just going to float there like some sort of idiot?" the super villain asked and laughed once more. Uub glared harder at him then shot forward with a burst of speed, screaming a battle cry.

Uub thrust his right fist forward but Bebi grabbed it and sent his right knee diving into Uub's gut. Bebi then tossed Uub aside and into one of the four walls around them.

Uub glared at Bebi then powered up, breaking down the wall in the process and then tried again. This time he managed to land a few hits to the face and chest before Bebi threw the human back into the ground. Uub struggled to get up but Bebi landed hard on top of his chest, no doubt breaking several ribs.

Bebi stepped off of the boy and laughed as Uub rolled over and coughed up blood before glaring at Bebi and trying again, flaring his aura madly as he jumped forward. Bebi laughed and caught Uub's wrist and again but Uub created a blast in his palm and fired it into Bebi's face. The tyrant let go and stumbled backwards, yelping in pain as he clutched his face and Uub continued his attack from there, scoring several hits to the gut and then jumped backwards and used the strongest kick that he could muster on Bebi Vegeta's left side.

Bebi toppled over but managed to place his hand on the ground to prevent himself from falling and ended in a sweep kick, blast combo that left the young warrior crippled on the floor.

Up on the planet of the kais, Kibito kai was staring intently into the elder's crystal ball.

"This does not look good for Uub." He muttered, catching Goku's attention.

"In deed it doesn't he is no match for Bebi." The elder sighed. Goku looked between the two from his meditation spot and then focused on the ball.

"What's going on down on earth?" the chibi sized adult asked but ended up wincing as the elder told him to shut up and meditate.

Kibito kai sighed at Goku.

"Isn't there a way of speeding this up?" he asked. The elder grimaced and stared at the picture of Uub in the ball. Bebi was kicking around the poor guy like a football.

"There maybe a way but if you want to save Uub then we wouldn't have time to complete it. Goku will have to work out how to get the end result for himself." He muttered.

"Well if it saves Uub then I'll do it!" Goku called from his tree. The elder shook his head.

"No, it's too risky. We must proceed as planned."

"But sir, if the other way saves Uub then shouldn't we take it? We can't just sit here and watch!" Kibito pleaded. The elder grimaced again and then sighed.

"I don't see why I bother pleading with you. You won't listen to me anyway. Stupid generation not respecting their elders…"the old kai muttered, falling into a rant. Kibito and Goku were on the edge of their seats waiting for him to finish.

"Sir…?"

"Alright already. We'll take the short cut. But don't blame me if it doesn't work out like we planned." The elder said in annoyance and the other two beamed at him while down on earth, Uub was slowly losing hope…

_**A/N:** Ok, I'm done. Don't hurt me for taking ages to update when I'm normally so fast. This just took ages for some reason and it's kinda hard to write certain parts when you haven't see a GT episode for roughly a year. Wait, that's not true, I saw an episode the other week at my grandparents house…it's so unfair when you have to travel 100 miles just to see your TV shows…stupid cable._

_Ok, that's me done being bitter and bored. What's the elder kais plan? And is there any hope for Uub? Find out next time on…erm…here._


	10. chapter 9: the next level

Ok, I thought I better write this or I might go crazy thinking several chapters ahead and not going anywhere. It's really annoying, I keep thinking of the end of the story/evil dragon saga for some reason and I'm not even done with Bebi yet…on a different note, I have toonami back! I can watch GT and come up with new things again! Woot!

Yay, 4 reviewers!

Chico: hmm…well there is only one thing to do in this case…duck and cover and hope Kibito kai saves you! Heh, glad you liked last chapter, here's another.

Rejhan: well it looks like it, but you might be surprised…or will you? Well I can't tell so you'll have to wait and see.

Trugeta: well here's how I handle Uub, right here. You also get to see how I handle the tail…err…stretching. O.O;

RobbyT15: thanks. Here's another chapter.

**Chapter 9: the next level. **

Uub slowly climbed to his feet. His energy felt depleted and he was having difficulty focusing on the tyrant before him but he wasn't going to back down. He knew he didn't have a hope in the world of destroying Bebi but he was still going to try.

_After all, Goku wouldn't quit and neither will I!_ He thought then another thought crossed his mind. He was the planets only hope. He was the strongest fighter left as far as he knew so if he were defeated here then it would all be over.

_Then again there is always Pan…_he thought, remembering her transformation. Maybe she could train…

"Are we going to fight or are you just going to stand there staring at me all day?" Bebi's words cut through the young man's thoughts like a knife as he was pulled back to the present. He had to be beaten before Pan would be at bat…

Uub sunk into a determined stance and stared Bebi down. Bebi smiled at his challenge and simply stood in Vegeta's usual stance.

"Well…?" Bebi asked mockingly. Uub growled through gritted teeth and lunged forward, commencing the battle.

Uub thrust his arm forward in a feint attack and then shot his left leg out in a smooth kick. Bebi blocked the kick easily and then grabbed Uub by the throat and slammed him into the ground, leaving him there. Uub weakly tried to get back onto his feet, but a heavy foot squashed him back into place.

"I hate to blast and run but I have to blast and run. It's been fun kid but my planet won't look after itself." Bebi told him and pointed to an ear piece that was resting in his right ear, knowing that Uub was unable to twist his head round to see.

Bebi smirked and pressed his boot further into Uub's spine and then stepped off and phased out of sight as he quickly took to the sky. He looked to the stiff form of Zara who was still looking at Trunks and the others in silence.

"Girl! Get out of here and find Bulma!" he ordered and Zara hesitantly did as ordered. Bebi watched her go then focused his attention on Uub. He then lifted up his arm, palm facing up, and created an apocalyptic sized ball. Bebi smirked at the pure energy swirling in a ball above his hand and then threw it with all his strength at Uub before taking off.

Whilst all this was happening, Buu had been busy with Pan. Hercule had scooped her up and had taken her to Buu who now had both palms floating above her and glowing yellow as he went to work healing her. As soon as he was done and he turned to Uub as Pan stirred.

Buu stared at the ball then flew towards it. Hercule watched him go and yelled at him to stop but Buu didn't pay any attention to him. Instead he hit the ball head on, making it explode before it could even reach Uub.

The resulting explosion sent Uub rolling onto his front as well as sending Hercule and Pan into some crates.

Uub slowly opened his eyes and gasped at what he saw. Little pieces of pink some things were falling from the sky like pink, rubbery snow. Each flake glided gently towards him and landed on his bare chest, seeming to soak into his skin.

_What…or who was that?_ Uub wondered as he watched the flakes. What he wasn't expecting was an answer.

"_Me Buu._"

_Buu?_ Uub asked and looked round for the voice. He recognised that name…

"_Yes, Buu. We used to be one but then you died and came back as Uub. Now we become one again and beat Bebi._"

"Wait, what?" Uub asked the flakes as he stared at the last few melting into his skin. He could feel new power running through him, healing his injuries and adding to his strength. He couldn't believe it.

Hercule and Pan sat up in the debris of the crates and stared as Uub climbed to his feet and stared at his hands. He turned them over and then allowed them to drop to his sides. The other two watched him the whole time.

"Uub? Wh…what happened?" Pan asked as she watched him. Uub was silent and then stared directly at her and Hercule and grinned.

"You two stay there. I'll be back." He told them and then took off.

Goku stared at the elder kai as he stood rigidly. The elder circled him and then stared him in the eyes.

"Son…pull down your pants!" the kai ordered, making Goku, Sugaro and Shusagoro nearly face vault into the grass. The elder groaned silently at their reactions and brought the chibi sized Goku over his knee and pulled his yellow gi pants down far enough to show Goku what the red potion was for.

At the base of Goku's spine was a furry brown monkey tail that was only an inch or two long. The elder kai pulled on it lightly to let Goku know it was there.

"That potion I gave you has the ability to fully re-grow long lost limbs or appendages like your saiyan tail here. Unfortunately it's hardly long enough to do what we need of it so Kibito here will have to assist it." The elder kai informed a pained Goku who had since jumped down from his place on old kai's lap and was stroking his short tail tenderly.

"How's he gonna do that?" Goku asked slowly, dreading an answer that involved more tail pulling. He was in luck.

"Simple. Now that it's beginning to grow then Kibito can use his healing powers to help restore it to full length. After all, since it was cut off and is now growing back, it would be rather like him healing a hole in the chest. It should be right back to full length in a matter of minutes." The elder informed them and waited for reactions to his plan.

"You sure that'll work?" Goku asked, still concerned. The elder kai frowned at him.

"Of course I'm sure! I'm a god, aren't I? What would you rather have me do? Ask for a giant pair of pliers and pull it out to full length? Don't be ridiculous!" the elder yelled at the saiyan man-boy. Goku flinched and after getting a rather painful mental picture, he decided that a kai should know best.

The elder nodded at him and set to work instructing the god and saiyan before him.

"Goku, lie down and keep your tail out. Kibito, just start healing it as if it were any other wound. I'll be over there reading my...um…reading." the old kai then walked off to his tree after a shifty look, leaving the four to work it out for themselves.

Kibito and Goku both had matching droplets of sweat rolling down the side of their head as they watched him go. They quickly snapped out of what ever they were thinking of and glanced at each other.

"So, shall we begin?" Kibito asked and Goku nodded enthusiastically as he dropped to the floor to lie down. He dropped his trousers just enough to not cover up his tail and Kibito knelt next to him. Soon the kai was concentrating with his hands hovering above the tail. Slowly the hands lit up with a golden light that radiated onto the tail, lighting it up and making it twitch.

The change in length was hardly noticeable at first but soon it had obviously grown several inches. Then it burst three inches longer. Then some more so that it could easily wrap halfway round Goku's waist. It twitched and squirmed more before the tail stretched out and into its full length.

Goku kept his eyes focused on the trees in front of him the whole time. He didn't know how long it had been but was aware that suddenly he could feel something swishing back and forth behind him. He had long since forgotten what that had felt like…

"Goku, we're done." Kibito kai's voice told him and Goku slowly turned his head to look at the kai just to be greeted by the sight of his brown, fuzzy monkey tail arched over his shoulder, staring at him like a long time friend who he had lost touch with. Goku just stared blankly at it with his mouth a gape.

Then he grinned.

He had his tail back! Now this brought back memories…

"Well…?" Kibito asked as he watched Goku with a bemused look. Goku grinned up at the kai and jumped to his feet, wagging his tail like a playful dog.

"It's great! Thanks Kibito! Now how about we go teach Bebi a lesson!" Goku asked as his grin gained a crafty quality. Kibito nodded and put his hand on Goku's shoulder.

"Gladly!" Kibito agreed, totally forgetting the plan before disappearing.

The elder kai jumped up from his tree as he watched them go.

"No! That baka!" he yelled at the spot where they had been. Sugaro looked over at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"That baka took Goku away before we could even tell him what he has to do to get the full power his tail has to offer!" the elder groaned. It was bad enough that Pan and Uub had decided to charge blindly into battle so they couldn't show Goku how to do it until he got it right, but now Goku was doing the same thing!

Sugaro stared at the kai.

"Oh…" he muttered. Now all they could do was pray and watch.

Bebi sat in his seat as he waved to the crowd around him. He was feeling rather smug after beating Goku and his prized pupil and had decided a celebration was in order to help bloat his ego even more. He was now in a vehicle that looked a lot like an old convertible silver car with Bulma and a robot chauffeur. He was having a parade celebrating his accomplishments, including the big move to New Plant. Bebi had it all, his enemies had been crushed and he had a planet and race. It was perfect.

At least it was until a glowing ki-blast went sailing into the front of the car…

Bebi stood up and scanned the surrounding area, trying to work out where that blast had come from. And why nobody tried to stop it…

He soon spotted Uub floating high above the crowd with a smoking hand raised and a smirk placed on his face. A sight Bebi did not want to see.

"What are you doing back so soon? I thought I killed you." Bebi spat.

"Sorry?" Uub replied sarcastically, "Maybe you shouldn't act like the traditional spy baddie." He then suggested. Bebi growled at him. There was something different about the boy and it wasn't the black waistcoat with the gold trim.

"So why are you here? Nothing major could have happened in the last ten minutes." Bebi said in a gruff voice that Uub smirked at.

"That's where you would be wrong. I'm now strong enough to take you on! And win!" Uub announced. He didn't get the reaction he had hoped for.

All the humans laughed at him and the unbelievable feat he was suggesting. Even Bebi chuckled before powering up; ruining the rest of the car and making the crowd scatter in the process.

"Prove it!" Bebi dared.

"Gladly." Uub shot back and immediately sunk into his best stance. He was going to hit Bebi fast and hard.

_But wait…what's that signature…?_ Uub wondered before he was forced to duck. Bebi was already on top of him and dishing out every combo he could think of.

Uub flared his aura out in a rushed power up as he zipped between punches and kicks and then a few blasts. Bebi seemed to just want to get rid of every link to the saiyan problem now and Uub could understand why.

Uub leapfrogged over a punch and Bebi's head before twisting round in the air and firing a barrage of blasts at his opponent as he continued to sail backwards. Bebi turned round in the air and started deflecting but they seemed to prove to be too much as they started to hit him. Smoke clouded round Bebi and blocked him from Uub's view.

Soon the blasts stopped and Bebi decided to move out of the smoke and attack. He shot out but ended up being on the receiving end of a jump kick to the face. Uub followed his kick up with a multitude of punches to the chest, a fist to the gut and then a spin kick to Bebi's right side that sent the man plummeting to the ground, to the crowds' horror.

Uub then pointed a finger at the figure of Vegeta Bebi and fired a very familiar pink blast at him, yelling, "turn into chocolate!"

Bebi was turning in the air as the blast neared him but the tyrant quickly twisted himself into position, facing Uub but upside down, and swatted the blast back with a backhand.

Uub stared at it in horror as the pink blast sailed swiftly towards him. He didn't even have time to put up a defensive as the pink beam hit his chest, shrouding him in a pink light and turning him into what he had commanded: chocolate.

Bebi watched the now chocolate Uub fall to the ground and grinned.

"What a sweet ending." He commented and then caught the chocolate in his open palm. Bebi surveyed it for a moment then gobbled it down greedily. That was the end of one problem…

"Hey Bebi!"

…And the start of another.

Bebi turned wearily at the new voice. He had thought he was free of it but today just didn't seem to be his day. So he frowned down at the form of chibi Goku that was glaring heatedly at him with his tail swishing furiously.

_Wait…tail?_

"So I see you're back. And with a new appendage I see. How tail-fying." Bebi snorted but Goku didn't think it was funny.

"Laugh it up while you can, Bebi, this tail is all I need to set things right!" Goku exclaimed and burst into super saiyan three in a blink of an eye, his tail shining gold to match his hair and aura.

"That and a miracle. Only a saiyan could think that he was any stronger because he had a tail." Bebi, again, snorted.

Goku glared at him and lowered into a stance, his tail still wagging angrily.

"We'll see about that!" he yelled before phasing out of sight. Bebi smirked to himself and then phased out of sight as well.

The two were moving at an impossible speed, too fast to see. All that could be seen were streaks of energy that appeared when ever they made a hit. Three streaks flashed across the sky and the next thing anybody knew, Goku was skidding along the floor until he hit his head hard against a rock and regressed all the way back to his normal stage.

Goku groaned as he tried to move so the rock wasn't stabbing his skull and stared at his tail.

"I don't understand…they said a saiyans power lies in the tail…why isn't it working?" he wondered aloud. Then looked up towards the Bebi who was gloating above him.

"Poor little saiyan. You really expected that to work, didn't you? How pathetic, you should have known better. You can't beat me." Bebi told him but Goku wasn't listening. He had spotted what was behind Bebi.

Exactly behind Bebi was the shinning blue planet Goku had lived most of his life on. In fact he had been born on that planet. Kakarot had come to earth and got the concussion and Goku had been born from that. And now it looked like he would be unable to save it from Bebi.

Goku couldn't tear his eyes away from it. He could feel his tail twisting round as if to get a good look. His heartbeat began to pick up a pace. He could feel his body changing but he didn't dare look away from the shining, blue marble above them. But Bebi could see what was going on and he didn't like it.

"No…it can't be." He muttered and remembered something from long ago.

A pack of giant monkeys were tearing open buildings as more saiyans grew into matching brown monkeys – Oozarus.

Bebi couldn't let that happen here. He dived down towards Goku but already it was too late. Goku was already growing and had unwillingly turned super, only his eyes were completely red and pupil-less instead of teal. Even the whites of his eyes were now red. Golden monkey hair spread across his body as he swelled to a gigantic size. His clothes had torn to shreds and now he was only covered in gold hair, apart from his newly formed snout, his hands, chest and his feet.

This was Goku in his golden Oozaru form.

Bebi looked on in a mixture of fear and awe. He knew a little of this transformation but didn't know of the weaknesses. All he knew of was it gave whoever used it a 10x power boost. And in this case it was definitely a bad thing for Bebi. He knew he didn't stand a chance.

Unfortunately that wasn't his only problem.

Goku sniffed the air in a way of exploring his new surroundings and then spotted Bebi. The tyrant immediately got into a defensive stance as Goku got ready to swat him like a bug. But just before he did, Goku noticed all the people in the city, and of course the city itself. Bebi was soon forgotten and Goku went to explore.

The Oozaru pushed a building out of the way to get into the city and swatted some more down as if he were pushing grass out of the way. He stepped on smaller buildings, crushing them and kept moving deeper into the city, making more and more of a mess.

Bebi watched in startled surprise and quickly regained his wits. He had worked too hard to get to this point and Goku was about to ruin everything! He had to be stopped!

Bebi charged after the giant monkey that was Goku, charging up a blast in each hand, preparing to blast any and every part of Goku. At least he was until Goku's hand fell from the sky and slapped him into the road.

Bebi had to peel himself out of it before getting his bearings and finding a new plan of attack. Goku was too big and powerful at this stage and Bebi had no clue as to how he could stop Goku. He needed to re group so he turned tail to find the one person he was sure could give him an answer.

On the planet of the kais Kibito grinned at the crystal ball the small group were sitting around.

"Bebi knows he's beat. Look at him go." He exclaimed but was soon stopped as two fingers slapped him hard round the head.

"Don't be foolish!" the old kai snapped at him. Kibito rubbed his head and stared at the elder.

"What do you mean?"

"We haven't won anything yet. Besides, Goku can't control himself. The Oozaru form is very primitive and hard to control. Only saiyans that have had plenty of experience in the form can control it. Goku has not had plenty of experience or the right training. He doesn't know how to control it. If you hadn't rushed in then I probably could have explained what he had to do but you had to take him before I had a chance! At this rate he won't even be able to get to the next stage." The elder snapped. Kibito kai looked to the two beaver people beside him and then back to the elder.

"What do you mean, sir?" he asked but the old kai wasn't going to answer. He was to busy hoping that Goku didn't do anything he'd later regret…

Goku continued to roam the city, still destroying anything in his way. He was now near the edge of the city and would be out in the wide-open space that was the desert. He was so focused on the desert that he didn't know who was about to be trodden on.

Chichi and Videl were being pushed on all sides as terrified people ran around them. Goku was practically on top of them and there was nowhere to run. Both women looked frantically around and then up as they heard someone screaming.

There was Goku's monkey paw slowly coming down on them and they had nothing to do but hold onto each other and scream. They pressed their eyes tightly shut as they prepared for the impact but instead of being flattened they were greeted by people telling them to look up. The two did as commanded and there above them was Pan in super saiyan mode, holding up her grandfathers massive paw with everything she could muster.

Goku flailed his arms around to keep from falling over and lifted his foot off of Pan. Goku looked at his granddaughter like she was an insect and then flicked her hard with his finger, sending her through several buildings and back to where she had started.

Pan let out a moan as she sat upright, back in her normal form. If she learned anything from this it was not to go up against giant monkeys…

Hercule rushed to his grandchild's side to check that she was fine. Naturally she just pushed him away.

"Pan, please stop this. You can't take on Bebi or Goku. Just stay here." He begged but Pan just shook her head.

"No way! When I sensed Grandpa Goku back here I knew he would need my help and he does. I have to make him remember…" she told him. Hercule frowned at her.

"But Pan-" he started.

"No buts! I'm going to go help him! I'll be back." She said firmly then flashed Hercule a confident grin before flying back toward Goku.

Goku had long since left the city and was now just roaming around, beating down rock formations and just exploring.

He came to a small oasis at the bottom of a cliff and paused to have a drink. When he was done he noticed something blue being reflected in the pinkish water and looked up. There was earth shinning down on him. He couldn't help sitting there and starring longingly at the blue orb that sat high in the sky.

"You miss it…don't you?" a small voice asked from somewhere near his right elbow. Goku peered down at Pan who was starring up at him with pleading black eyes.

"You have to remember it. We lived up there. We were all one big happy family there…until you went off with Uub at least, but we were still happy there. Don't you remember?" she asked. Goku stared at Pan and for a second she thought that understanding flashed though those big red eyes.

Then he turned round and used his tail to slap her into a cliff before running off on all fours.

Pan pulled herself out of the wall and after straightening her bandana she frowned in his direction.

"So much for just talking…time for plan B." she muttered and took off her bag pack that she seemed to always carry around with her. She rummaged through it and finally found what she was looking for. It was a copy of the photo Bebi had used before.

Pan smiled at it and took off at full speed to where Goku had gone.

Goku sat on the very top of a high cliff, staring at the earth still. He couldn't take his eyes away from it for some reason…

Pan slowly and cautiously floated in front of his face, holding the picture in front of her for him to see.

"Look Grandpa. It's a picture of everyone. It's the last time we were all together." She spoke softly, hoping not to get slapped away again.

Goku narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance then looked over the picture. He could remember this.

They had all been at the beach. He had been teaching Pan how to swim in the ocean with Gohan while their wives watched and talked. Bulma had been chatting with the other humans round the BBQ and Hercule had been keeping Buu from eating everything. Vegeta had been taking a nap in the sun when a teenage Trunks and Goten had decided to bury him in sand. Zara had joked about turning him into a mermaid and the boys had made the end into a fin (Vegeta had woken up before they could finish with the chest). Then apart from everyone else, Marron had been watching a little Bra whilst asking Uub about his village.

Goku could remember it perfectly, even in his monkey form. It had been so peaceful that day; everything had been perfect.

Goku looked back at Pan and shoved her out of the way so that he could get a good view of the earth. Pan almost hit the floor again but managed to stop just in time and stare at her grandpa. She had been sure that would work…

She slowly floated back up to him and stared at the big monkey that was hiding her grandpa inside. She couldn't take much more of this…

"Please remember grandpa. Please?" she begged him, feeling her eyes stinging. Goku glanced back at her and noticed a single tear rolling down her cheek. It dripped off of her chin and onto his out stretched finger. He stared at it almost curiously and then back at the earth. Then something snapped inside him. He knew whom he was and what he had to do. It all fell into place and he could feel something deep within him. He just had to let it out…

Pan gasped as suddenly Goku began to howl. He was suddenly swept up in a violent, golden aura that pushed her backwards. His fur began to flash a reddish brown and he slowly began to shrink. His snout regressed back into his face to become more saiyan. His head hair grew out to form long tuffs similar to his normal hair. He looked like a cross between Oozaru and saiyan when he stopped shrinking. He still had monkey hair covering his arms and legs but he was saiyan shaped. The only features of Oozaru left were the reddish-brown fur and tail. His eyes looked normal only they were still red. Then he was adult sized as well instead of the chibi form Pan had gotten used to. He looked very impressive stood there but what was even more impressive was his power level. Pan had never sensed anything like it before; it was that huge!

_This is it!_ Pan thought, _this is how he can beat Bebi._

* * *

**_A/n_**_: there we go, a nice long chapter. I'm hoping I can get this Bebi saga out of the way soon so I can start on other things. Shouldn't be too long now…_

_So what is this new transformation? And is Pan right about it? Find out next time!_

**_A/N2_**_: oh yea, and I apologise for any bad puns that may have been used. Ja'ne! _


	11. chapter 10: cure

Reviews!

Trugeta: wow, someone liked the line…well she isn't going to be that important for a while but I do have plans for her!

Chico: lol, glad you liked the Vegeta thing. I thought of it ages ago and wanted an excuse to use it. Although I don't think Trunks and Goten will have as fond memories of that…and yes, old kai is a perv. So is Roshi, I'd hate to think what would happen if they decided to get together…good luck with the Eli thing…

**Chapter 10: cure**

Bebi paced the lab as he waited for an answer. He had come to the onna in hopes that she would at least know what an Oozaru's weakness was but she had just busied herself with the computer the whole time. He was losing patients.

"Hurry up onna! Who knows what that blasted monkey is doing!" Bebi yelled. The blue haired scientist turned round and sighed as she quickly scanned him with her eyes.

"Be patient, my lord." Bulma told him. Bebi growled at her and gave her a death glare that would have made any other person fall to pieces. Bulma decided she better just tell him before he blew up her and all of the machinery.

"I believe that he probably transformed by looking at the earth. It deflects the same amount of Brutze waves as the moon so Goku could transform."

Bebi unclenched his fists and folded his arms across his chest instead.

"Then how come I didn't transform as well? And how does this help me beat him?" Bebi snapped.

"I would say that it was because Vegeta doesn't have a tail. The tail is the weakness in that form because it's what triggers the transformation and sustains it." Bulma told him and gave him a look. "Does that help, my lord?"

Bebi grumbled to himself and looked away. She had answered his question but now he had something else to worry about. Goku's power level had changed.

"He's on the move." A second female voice stated calmly. It was Zara sitting on a table near the back of the metallic room.

"I can see that!" Bebi yelled at her and continued to stare at the wall. He didn't like what he was sensing.

The ki-signature suddenly stopped moving and the next thing the trio knew, the wall had been blown to bits, showing a newly transformed Goku. Bebi signalled the women to leave and stared Goku down.

"Interesting new look. But if I were you, I would have lost the tail." Bebi commented as he took in Goku's new form. Goku just ignored him and looked at the girls making for the exit.

"Bulma!" Goku stared directly at the scientist as she glared at him.

"Do not speak my name!" she snarled at him, ignoring Zara telling her to follow orders.

"Bulma!" Goku tried again.

"Stop it! You are master's enemy, a filthy saiyan!" Bulma yelled back at him. Goku frowned at her and looked away.

"I guess there's no reaching you," he said.

"Good that you realise that, your fight is with me, not this earth woman!" Bebi yelled then phased out of sight as he shot forward and punched Goku hard across the jaw. Goku barely moved and Bebi started throwing a barrage of punches at any part of Goku he could reach, never hitting anything but air. The two fighters continued to move backwards and as Bebi tried thrusting his elbow into Goku's gut, the saiyan disappeared.

Bebi couldn't believe it. He hadn't even seen Goku move and now the saiyan was nowhere to be seen!

"Over here!" a familiar voice cried out and Bebi turned round just to get a fist to the face. Goku smirked and then twisted into a round house that sent Bebi backwards but Goku grabbed his foot and tossed him into the opposite direction. This new form was very impressive.

_I could get used to it._ Goku thought with a smirk and then chased after Bebi.

Bulma couldn't believe what she was seeing. Bebi couldn't land a blow on Goku. It was unreal…

She turned to Zara who was keeping an emotionless look on her face as she tried to follow the fight.

"Can't you help him?" she asked, receiving a scoff.

"Bebi doesn't like people interfering. Besides, he can look after himself." Zara replied and then stepped out of the hole in the wall.

"But you have to help! He might need you! Zara!" Bulma yelled.

"Oh please, he doesn't need anyone. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some demi-saiyans to check up on." Zara announced and then took off, leaving Bulma to fume.

"Fine, if she won't help then I will. Hold on my lord." She muttered and ran to the computer.

Bebi had recovered from Goku's attacks and was now concentrating more on trying to hit the annoying saiyan. But it was harder then he thought. Every time he made a move, Goku avoided it and came back with a stronger one. This wouldn't do…

"You know if you destroy me then Vegeta perishes too, right?" Bebi asked, interrupting the little stare down.

"I know, and Vegeta would gladly give up his life to end yours." Goku replied.

"Why? Getting scared?"

"I don't get scared." Bebi assured Goku and blurred out of sight. Goku smiled and thrust his elbow behind him, hitting an unsuspecting Bebi in the gut. Bebi floated backwards, clutching where the attack had hit him, glaring at Goku all the while. Goku just floated in place with a grin on his face as he watched Bebi get as much distance as he dared to away from Goku.

_Now what? I can't touch him…_Bebi thought bitterly.

"Don't worry my lord, I have a plan. You just need to stall him for ten more minutes." Bulma's voice suddenly cut in. Bebi had forgotten about the earpiece he was wearing.

"Fine, but this better be worth it." Bebi muttered back and then raised his arms over his head. Soon black energy began to form over his head that had ki-bolts streaking round it. Soon it grew big enough to wipe out a small planet and Bebi smirked.

"Remember this move? Revenge death ball!" he cried and threw the ball at Goku.

Goku just stared at it calmly as it flew towards him and at the very last second caught it. Only there was a problem. His hands sunk right in. he tried to pull out but it just pulled him in further until both of his arms were stuck in the ball.

_Ah…only one thing to do in this situation._ Goku thought and then allowed himself to be pulled completely into the energy ball.

Nothing happened after that and Bebi just stared at his ball. It wasn't exploding and he couldn't work out why.

Slowly the ball began to shrink. It slowly began to pick up the pace as it shrunk and soon it shrunk enough for Goku's head and legs to stick out. A few seconds later and the energy had completely disappeared. Goku flashed Bebi a son grin.

"Well thanks for the energy but I don't recommend trying to absorb that much at once." He said with a laugh, not noticing the horrified look on Bebi's face. But he soon caught on.

"What's the matter? You were so chatty and confident before! Don't tell me that you're nervous now." Goku added. Bebi stiffened and contorted his face into a mask of rage.

"I don't get scared and I don't get nervous!" he yelled but Goku just grinned back.

"Lord Bebi! I'm ready with the Brutze wave generator! Get ready!" Bulma's voice cut in and Bebi spun round in alarm to stare at the tower Bulma was in.

"What?!" he yelled, wiping the grin off Goku's face and replacing it with a look of confusion. Goku then found himself looking towards Bulma's tower as well.

The satellite dishes that were placed round the top of the tall tower were all moving to face Bebi. Each one began to glow and then green energy radiated out and onto Bebi.

Bebi's eyes widened as he was hit.

"No! I'm not ready! AHHH!" Bebi screamed as his body suddenly swelled several times larger. His face grew outwards into a snout and his hair turned gold as golden monkey hair spread all over his body. His body grew too big for his clothes and only his shoulder pads and chest plate remained.

The now golden Oozaru - and still tailless - Bebi dropped out of the sky and landed on all fours. Goku watched him cautiously. He didn't know what Bulma had done but he knew that he was in trouble. Bebi power had increased 10 fold and that put him on par, or maybe even stronger than him. And that wasn't a good thing.

Bebi continued to sit perfectly still. It was hard to tell if he had any control at all over the giant monkey.

Goku took a step forward and took to the air. Bebi sensed this and quickly turned round to try and hit Goku. The saiyan managed to evade a few swipes but the third one Bebi used hit him hard and made him go sailing through a building. Goku growled and powered up, destroying the building around him and he then charged back at Bebi, phasing in and out as he dodged all of Bebi's attacks. Then, when he was close enough, he executed a perfect flip kick to Bebi's snout.

Bebi's head was forced up from the blow and Goku stared expectantly at the Oozaru. Soon a rumbling laughter filled the air and Bebi looked down at Goku.

"Impressive, but not good enough." Bebi commented. Goku looked surprised for a moment but then he flashed the smile he reserved only for tough opponents.

"Looks like this will be more challenging then I thought." Goku told the monkey.

Goku disappeared from view and appeared above Bebi, about to deliver a hard blow to the back of his head but Bebi ducked and then looked up at Goku and fired a blast from his mouth that Goku found hard to dodge. Bebi fired another and then another at Goku who dodged the first and shot his kamehameha wave at the second to enter an energy tug of war.

The meeting points of the two blasts were pushed back and forth for a second before both exploded, knocking both warriors backwards. Bebi landed on a heap of buildings and destroyed more getting up. He laughed when he saw Goku struggling to push rubble off of himself.

"You're not tired already, are you?" Bebi mocked. Goku smirked and shock his head.

"No way, why? Are you?" he asked and stood up confidently. Bebi laughed again and got ready for another attack.

The elder kai looked into the crystal ball and shook his head sadly.

"Goku can't last against Bebi like this. That monster is too strong in that form. Goku is going to need some help if he's going to defeat Bebi."

The other three looked at the old kai in surprise.

"Well what do you suggest honourable kai? My son and I can shape shift but we're nowhere near as strong as those two. Don't think anyone is." Sugaro said, moving his gaze from the old kai to the crystal ball and back again.

"That's true but I think what we need right now is the holy water." The elder told the three after a moments thought. Kibito kai grinned at the idea.

"Of course! How could we forget about the holy water? I'll go get it!" Kibito exclaimed then disappeared. Sugaro shared a confused look with his son and then both looked to the old kai.

"Um, what is the holy water exactly?" Sugaro asked. The old kai smiled at him.

"It's a special water that can cure all poisons. Bebi's eggs infect people rather like a poison so in theory the holy water should be able to cure all of those infected." The elder explained.

"Wow, that's amazing. So all of Goku's friends can get cured and help out?" Shusagoro asked and the elder nodded.

"That's the idea, yes." He answered just as Kibito reappeared. The small group looked at him.

"That was fast. Where's the holy water?" the elder asked the sheepish Kibito kai.

"Um…that's what I wanted to ask you…" Kibito replied, pressing his index fingers together nervously. The father-son duo face vaulted into the floor and a vein on the elder's head popped up.

"It's in the throne room of the lookout on earth! You should know that from your studies! Now get GOING!" the old kai yelled at the top of his lungs, his head seeming to swell to twice it's normal size. Kibito kai gulped loudly and then disappeared with a quick apology.

The lookout was peaceful at the moment when Kibito kai appeared out side. He glanced around then quickly hid behind one of the trees in the long line in front of the lookout. He peeked round the side to check the no one was outside. Both Dende and Mr Popo were inside and Piccolo was busy meditating in front of the entrance.

Kibito swallowed hard at the sight of the older Namek and put on a serious face. He then proceeded to run from tree to tree, making sure he was still hidden as he tried to get to the throne. Piccolo didn't see him so he was safe. At least until he got to the last tree, then he had to be especially careful.

Kibito took in a deep breath and then tiptoed towards the corner of the building. He kept his back firmly pressed against the wall and slowly shuffled past Piccolo and through the entrance.

_Phew, hard part over with, now to get to the throne room…crud._ Kibito thought as he looked around. There were three corridors to choose from. One on either side and then another in front of him. And he had no idea where the throne room was.

Kibito would have sworn if he weren't a kai but instead he decided to just pick one. After a quick game of 'eenie meenie miney moe' he hurried down the corridor in front of him.

Now Kibito was wrong when he thought the hard part was over. The lookout was like a maze and he had to constantly dive into the nearest hiding spot to avoid Dende and Popo. By the time he got to the throne room he was well and truly fed up.

"In the throne room he says…could have said where the throne room was." he muttered as he walked in and spotted the throne. He grinned when he saw it and straight away noticed a barrel in the corner of the room that was filled with water. He walked over to it and then noticed a storeroom next door with more barrels of water and a bottle in the far corner.

"He could have said which barrel as well." He muttered bitterly and started checking the barrels.

He was so preoccupied with this however that he didn't notice the two figures darkening the door. He didn't even know that somebody was there until one coughed.

Kibito kai spun round in shock and stared in fear at Dende and Mr Popo. The guardian and genie stared blankly back at him and Dende was the first to break the awkward silence.

"It's not very fitting for a kai like yourself to go sneaking around like a common thief you know."

Kibito kai stayed silent as the shock of being caught was still there. Dende sighed and folded his arms across his chest.

"Maybe we should take you to lord Bebi and find out just what you were doing." The Namek continued and Kibito snapped out of his little trance.

He couldn't be taken to Bebi! He had to get out of there! But wait…Dende was only the guardian of earth and more of a healer then a fighter where as he was the supreme kai – or at least part of him had been – so what did he have to be afraid of? He could handle Dende and Popo.

"What's going on here? I thought I sensed Kibito kai." A gruff voice asked from round the corner and then Piccolo stepped into view. Kibito's head dropped. He may have been able to get past Dende but Piccolo was a completely different story. He only had one choice now: run! And that he did.

Kibito ran through the storeroom and he could hear Piccolo and the others walking/running close behind. And the storeroom was rather small so he couldn't avoid them forever

_Well you wanted away to find which was the right water…_he thought glumly as he stared at the water barrels as he ran. So the first chance he got he picked up a barrel and threw the contents at his pursuers heads. They just stared at him as if he were crazy before they all resumed the chase.

_Well that wasn't it!_ Kibito yelled in his head and continued to throw whatever water he could get his hands on at them. Soon he had run out of barrels and the three had managed to split up and trap him in the far corner where the little white bottle was. Kibito looked franticly around for a way out and then noticed that the bottle had water in…

"Now, are you going to come peacefully or am I going to have to knock you out?" Piccolo asked roughly whilst glaring at the kai. The kai responded by throwing the water from the bottle at the trio's faces.

At first nothing happened and Kibito wondered if there was another store room in the throne room or another throne room but then all three keeled over, clutching their throats as a red vapour blew out of their pores.

"Argh, what happened?" Piccolo asked as he stood up and then he looked round the room as if he were going crazy. "And how did I get in here?"

Dende and Popo both shrugged and then spotted a rather confused kai.

"Err, what are you doing here Kibito?" Dende asked.

"And why are we all wet?" Popo added as he looked over his drenched waistcoat. Kibito looked at all three of them and then grinned.

"I got it!" he yelled and then disappeared; leaving two very confused Nameks and a genie behind to work things out for themselves.

The next place Kibito appeared in was the completely empty area around Bulma's new space ship. He quickly looked round and spotted Goten and Gohan and then Trunks lying next to him. He quickly bent down next to the demi-saiyan prince and uncorked the bottle.

"Hang on Trunks, you'll be back to normal in no time." The kai said softly but stopped as a shadow washed over him.

"I wouldn't touch him if I were you." it was Zara. Kibito felt like slapping himself. Why hadn't he looked behind him? And why couldn't things be easy?

Kibito sighed and looked at the woman and was surprised to find her palm facing him with a steadily growing blast in it.

"Step away from him and tell me what you're doing here." She firmly ordered. Kibito kai didn't move a muscle.

"I'm here to help. Just put that out." He said, not taking his eyes off of the blast.

"Yea right, you're here to help the saiyan. What's that for?" She asked and nodded towards the bottle.

"It's nothing. Just please put that out. I'm not here to hurt anyone, I just want to help these guys." He assured her moving the bottle slowly towards Trunks.

"Bull, they're fine, just unconscious. Now do as I told you to and get away from him!" she barked. The blast swelled to twice the original size and Kibito froze. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't leave the guys; he had to cure them so that they could help Goku.

Then he noticed how she was standing. She was standing sideways, with the one hand with the blast outstretched and pointing at him. Her other hand he couldn't see until he focused on her face. The second hand was holding on to her forehead with her thumb and middle fingers rubbing her temples.

"You ok?" he asked, catching her off guard. For a moment he thought she was going to blast him for asking the wrong question or not moving but then the energy dispersed and she had to put her other hand to her head. Something was hurting her and he had a feeling it was the egg…

But he didn't have time to worry about her; this was the perfect time to enlist some help.

He quickly lifted Trunks's head off of the ground and pressed the bottle to his lips, allowing him to drink the water inside. The demi-saiyan coughed a bit as he drank and as Kibito stopped giving Trunks the water, the same red vapour the trio on the lookout had escaped Trunks.

Trunks's eyes slowly fluttered open and he stared at the kai.

"Wh…what are you doing here?" he asked and slowly sat up.

"I'll explain in a minute, just please sort her out first." Kibito told him and pointed to a glaring Zara who was letting go of her still aching head.

"What did you do?" she asked in a shaky voice that sounded as though she were on the verge of yelling. Trunks got to his feet as he remembered exactly what happened when he had gotten back to earth and Kibito kai raised his hands defensively.

"I didn't do anything, just calm down ok?" he pleaded.

Zara charged up two separate blasts and pointed them both threateningly at the kai.

"What did you DO?" she cried and Kibito froze. Zara frowned and pushed the two blasts into one big one and continued to point it at the kai when Trunks phased into view behind Zara and wrapped her into a bear hug, extinguishing the blast.

"Hey, cool it. Didn't think you got this mad." Trunks joked at her but Zara didn't seem to think it was funny. She thrashed around in his grasp, trying to get lose and swearing the whole time. Kibito cautiously walked towards them.

"Keep her still." He told Trunks and then put the bottle to her lips. Zara tried to keep them shut but the water still got in and she went limp as the same old red vapours floated out of her. Both men stared at her as they waited for signs that it worked.

"Ow…" she muttered and stared at Kibito apologetically. The guys smiled at her.

"You ok?" Trunks asked. She slowly nodded.

"Yea…just remind me to knock your dad out next time he shows up in the dead of night." She muttered. Trunks chuckled and loosened his hold on her.

"Guess I owe you an apology too?" she said and looked at Trunks then at the floor. Kibito looked confused.

"Wait, you know what you did?" he asked. Zara shrugged.

"Parts. I blacked out occasionally but for the most part I knew what I was doing but couldn't stop. Guess after all these years of learning how to stop people reading my thoughts and doing the controlling thing, the only good that came out of it was to be aware of it." She said then sighed heavily then looked at the kai.

"So why are you here again?" she asked and Kibito rubbed the back of his head and laughed at his own forgetfulness.

"Oh yea, well Goku might need you're help fighting Bebi so I thought I'd bring in the cavalry. You two better go ahead, I'll deal with the others." Kibito quickly explained and then ran to Goten's limp body.

Zara and trunks watched him and then turned and took to the air and flew full speed to where they could sense the titanic power signals that were Bebi Vegeta and Goku.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ ok, I'm done! New chapter up which makes 2 in one day! Woot! Ok, so nothing really changed here but to tell you the truth this is just me building Goku up. It will lead to something, as well as showing the basic 'I always find a way' thing Goku's had for so long. Thinking about it, they could have done a lot with GT but they had to stick the sucky ending on the end…_

_Just one little thing to Chico, when I got you're last review I was already starting on this chapter and when I got kinda bored I actually drew a Bebi Eli. See what you made me do? – Steals son grin – meh, oh well…(and for those of you who want to know who Eli is…wait until the end of the story.)_

_So, will Goku defeat an Oozaru Bebi Vegeta? Will the others be able to lend a hand? Am I nearly done with Bebi? Find out next chapter! Ja'ne!_


	12. chapter 11: Bebi's downfall

Well I'm back after a few very confusing days of school. I was going to write this yesterday but it's hard when other people are on the pc…-sighs- ok, lets move on.

Reviews:

Trugeta: I'm not promising anything really but let me say don't get your hopes up for big changes for this chapter, I'm still trying to build Goku up which means there isn't much to change. Not that long until everything changes though…

Rejhan: glad you liked it. Just makes sense to have Zara knowing what she was doing but she needs more practice with her abilities if she doesn't want someone like Bebi controlling her.

Chico: it might not be the biggest part I'll be giving him but I will say that you can expect him and 3 more kids to show up in the last 1 or 2 chapters. Try and guess who they all belong to!

Erica: um…so you want Trunks's possessed dad to hit him? Um…I'll see what I can do but I'm not promising anything.

Well, on with the story then!

**Chapter 11: Bebi's downfall.**

Goku panted as he looked into the face of evil and frowned at what he saw. The mighty saiyan had given everything he could against Bebi in the last hour and was now exhausted. He didn't have much energy left and Bebi seemingly still had plenty. Sure, Goku had done some damage – a huge and noticeable chunk had been carved out of the giant monkey's energy – but it wasn't enough to allow Goku to win.

Goku knew that he couldn't last much longer but he also knew that he would find away. He always did.

"Are you just going to float there, gawping at me or are we going to finish this?" Bebi's stressed voice boomed, causing Goku's frown to harden. But the normally carefree saiyan quickly relaxed.

"Of course we will, I just thought I'd give you a little time to catch your breath. You look about ready to drop." Goku bluffed, allowing it to seem as though less damage was done to him then what really was.

Bebi growled loudly at the remark.

"I'll show you whose about to drop!" the golden monkey howled before lunging forward on all fours, ready to shoulder barge the saiyan.

If it had been any other opponent then Goku probably would have been able to dodge but this was an Oozaru he was against. Bebi was a giant monkey that was easily towering over tall buildings, with a foot the size of a bus. There was no way that Goku in his current condition could get around that shoulder in time.

So Bebi rammed his shoulder into the saiyan and followed though with a giant fist after Goku had begun to sail away. Goku was sent through the roof of a house and then bouncing through a wall. Bebi slapped the surrounding buildings out of the way and then grunted at the site of Goku.

Goku looked like he was fighting to remain conscious after that blow so Bebi decided that it was time to end it. Goku had lost his entertainment value.

Bebi stepped back and took in a deep breath. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he gathered the energy needed to obliterate Goku. Tiny particles of energy gathered in his mouth as an apocalyptic sized ball grew in his open mouth but he wasn't expecting what happened next.

He could hear a war cry and as he glanced to the side he could see a young brown haired woman flying towards him at top speed, with her right leg blazing with glowing white energy that was grafted together in the shape of a sphere.

Bebi lost the energy in his mouth as he stared in silent shock at Zara as she drew closer. And then he watched in a mixture of surprise and horror as she twisted round to execute perfect spinning mega kick with enough force to send him staggering backwards. Before Bebi was halfway through falling, a second attacker fired a large blast into his side, sending the giant ape spinning into the ground a good block away from where he had started.

Bebi couldn't believe it. He just stared dully into the ground as he tried to comprehend what was happening. He had just been attacked by one of his own and he could not for the life of him figure out why. He would have guessed that she broke free but that wouldn't compute. There had been a second attacker that had been too strong to be anyone that had not been under his influence. It didn't make sense.

Bebi slowly lifted his head and rolled over to get a good look at his new enemies and was further surprised by what he saw.

Zara was standing in front of a small group of people with her arms out to act almost like a barrier. Trunks was standing behind her but Bebi was surprised to see that while he was down two more people had crawled out from their rock to help. Goten and Trunks were standing confidently behind Zara and behind them was Gohan looking over Goku. Bebi couldn't believe it. And apparently neither could a certain quarter saiyan. Pan had floated down to help her father.

"What's going on here?" Pan asked her father in a joyous yet utterly confused tone. Gohan just smiled at her.

"We'll explain later, right now we have to take out the trash," Goten called over his shoulder and then looked to his right, where Trunks was standing. "You ready to fuse?"

"Ready, Zara's shield just better hold!" Trunks yelled and both boys got into the starting position for the fusion dance. There arms were outstretched and pointing away from the other man and their legs were set shoulder length apart. Zara took this as a signal and soon a giant, shimmering pink ki dome had been erected around them, keeping them out of Bebi's reach.

The guys grinned and then began to move their arms round in a smooth motion to point to the other man. They just never got to finish.

"Stop! Don't fuse!" Goku yelled and stumbled to his feet. Both demi-saiyans stopped and stared at Goku, almost asking why not.

"If you guys lend me your energy then I should be able to make quick work of Bebi." Goku told them and stared at each of the younger saiyans with almost pleading eyes.

The group of demi-saiyan men looked at each other to try and see what the others thought. It was Gohan that broke the silence.

"You sure that will work dad?" he asked and Goku nodded confidently back. Trunks and Goten sighed as they stepped away from each other and gathered around Goku.

"What do we do?" Goten asked his father.

"Just stand around me in a circle and power up. I'll do the rest." Goku said and then spotted Zara.

"Aren't you going to help?" he called but she shook her head.

"I'll need all my energy to keep the shield up. Something tells me Bebi isn't going to like what you have planned." She replied and the guys nodded and got ready. Even Pan tried to help and soon they were all in super saiyan form and handing Goku their energy.

By this time Bebi had realised what was happening and had completely recovered from the shock of seeing his people turn against him. Now he was just mad and there was no way in hell that he would simply allow Goku to get his full strength back.

Bebi pulled himself out of the monkey shaped creator he was stuck in. he took two shaky steps towards the dome and then broke out into and all out run on all fours. He bashed his shoulder in to the pink energy and bounced off of it. Zara gasped at the sudden impact and nearly fell to her knees but she quickly flared out her aura and regained her footing. She knew that she was in trouble.

Bebi got to his feet and started pushing down on the dome, hoping to make it cave in. he could see through the pink ki Zara flaring her red aura as much as possible to keep the shield erect but Bebi was so much stronger then her. The giant monkey twisted his snout into a monkey smirk and took one hand off of the pink ki so that he was only pressing it with one hand. He then brought his left hand down to repeatedly bang the solid ki, making it waver under him. It wouldn't be much longer now.

Zara gritted her teeth as her eyes turned to the familiar shade of blood red and her aura burst out to its peak. Bebi frowned in on her and stood back. He gathered the energy he needed into his mouth again and then fired the explosive beam at the shield, watching it waver and quake under the pressure. He was almost through.

Then something happened that caught everyone of guard. Bebi received a sensation similar to someone using his kidneys as punching bags. The giant ape that was Bebi doubled over in pain, leaving his blast to simply dissipate. Bebi stumbled backwards, clutching his stomach and howling in pain. He couldn't work out what was wrong. Neither could the others.

Zara stared at Bebi in confusion and slowly her eyes returned to their normal bright golden colour. All the saiyans had turned their heads to see what was happening.

"What's up with Bebi?" Pan asked. The others shrugged.

"Dunno, but what ever it is, lets not dwell on it. We should be using this time." Gohan told his daughter and the others all agreed and set back to work.

Bebi continued to hold himself as if he would be ripped open if he let go. He couldn't work out what was wrong.

Then he sensed it. A small power signature nestled right where all his pain was coming from.

"No! It can't be!" Bebi cried out as he stared straight forward in shock.

"What's wrong Bebi?" a familiar voice asked from deep within Bebi, "is it really that hard to believe? You didn't really think that I was that much of an amateur to get hit by my own attack, did you?"

Bebi was shaking as he heard the voice. There was no way that the human could have lived…he had to do something!

Bebi turned his head up, wearing a dead serious look on his face. The pain was still unbearable and to the group of people in the ki-dome it looked like Bebi was about to vomit all over the place. The monkey's cheeks bulged and he seemed to be having difficulty controlling himself until he pushed his lips forward and spat a large gob of something at the shield. What ever it was bounced slightly then slid down the edge leaving all inside slightly grossed out.

"Ew…" Zara muttered as she stared in disgust at the glob.

Then she saw it moving.

Whatever it was that Bebi had spat out slowly climbed to it's feet and for a moment it looked like living spit until the creature wiped the spittle off of his face and arms.

"Yuck!" Uub muttered as he tossed the remaining spit off. That was the last time he went inside the enemy to hold him off when it really counted…

Bebi on the other hand didn't seem to care that he had just spat a 21-year-old human out. Instead he noticed that Zara was now staring at Uub in shock and decided to use this distraction to his advantage.

Bebi charged up a blast in his mouth and fired it straight at the dome. It sailed towards the shield effortlessly, threatening to obliterate the shield and everything in it if Zara didn't see it coming.

Trunks had been watching what was happening on the outside as he helped and saw that Zara had dropped her guard.

"Zar! Watch out!" he yelled, causing all eyes to turn towards the blast hurtling towards them. Zara saw it just before it impacted in the dome and had just enough time to raise her power level to increase the shields strength.

It wasn't enough.

Zara raised her hands and strained herself to keep the blast outside. The shield glowed brightly and then wavered threateningly as the blast hit it dead on. It stopped the blast for a second but Bebi increased power and the whole thing shattered, allowing the blast to go hurtling towards Goku and the others and explode, sending all the non-saiyans to go flying forward from the impact.

Smoke blew upwards, hiding the spot from view. Uub and Zara both stood up together and stared into the billowing smoke. Bebi was already rejoicing in his head but that was quickly silenced.

The smoke slowly lifted and it appeared that the three demi-saiyans had managed to dive for cover, escaping injury. But there was no sign of Goku or Pan. The blast hadn't been strong enough to disintegrate the bodies so that could only mean one thing.

Bebi looked up as soon as he sensed it. Goku's power level was near its peak again and it seemed to be hiding from within the last of the rising smoke.

Slowly the remainder of the smoke past and there was Goku holding a startled Pan in his arms.

Goku slowly floated down to the ground and let his granddaughter go. The super saiyan then looked up towards the dumbfounded Bebi.

"So, you ready to continue this?" he called. Bebi didn't even have enough time to answer as Goku phased out of sight.

Goku appeared above Bebi and laced his fists together to hit the Oozaru hard on the back of the neck before the big ape could even blink. Then, as Bebi began to fall, Goku appeared in front of him and axe-kicked his snout, sending him toppling over in the other direction. Then Goku cupped his hands at his side.

"Kamehameha!" he yelled at the top of his lungs and then fired his trademark attack at the monkey, sending him flying through buildings until he skidded to a halt on his back. Goku watched and then cupped his hands at his sides for a second blast.

Bebi groaned and then heard Goku's chanting as the saiyan attempted to gather more energy. Bebi then leapt to his feet and fired a blast from his mouth, making Goku stop his attack and swerve to the side to avoid it. The saiyan watched the blast fly off into the distance, harmlessly exploding in the atmosphere, and then had to duck as Bebi Vegeta's giant paw came flying out of seemingly nowhere.

Bebi swung fist after hairy monkey fist that the saiyan quickly dodged. Bebi quickened the pace so that his arms were only a blur to even the trained eyes of the warriors below. But apparently Goku could go one better.

Goku floated over one fist and then landed and ran up Bebi's arm, charging up a blast. When he reached the top he threw it at Bebi's snout at point blank range, leaving Bebi to bring both hands to swat Goku but the saiyan was still too fast and Bebi only ended up slapping himself. Bebi stumbled backwards and then glared up at a smiling Goku.

"Guess you weren't meant to do that." The saiyan said, making Bebi fume. His last nerves had long ago been grinded down to nothing.

"Argh! Stupid monkey!" Bebi screamed and lunged at Goku and clapped his hands round the saiyan with such force that even the shock wave did damage.

Bebi slowly parted his palms but Goku was nowhere to be seen.

"Looking for me?" a voice called from above. Bebi looked up and his eyes widened at what he saw. Goku fell from the sky with both fists laced together over his head. Goku swung his arms down and slammed his fists into Bebi's snout, making Bebi fall snout first into the ground.

Bebi groaned from his spot on the floor. That blasted saiyan was just too fast for him. He didn't stand a chance against that kind of speed! But there was still hope…

"My liege! I have a plan! If I can increase the concentration of Brutze waves then I should be able to increase your power! It will only take a second!" Bulma's voice filled his ear. Bebi frowned and gave the go ahead after a quick glance at the tower. It may be his only hope.

On the sidelines, the active z gang members were still watching the fight.

"Wow, who'd have thought that that new transformation would be so powerful? It's amazing." Trunks commented, making all the others nod.

"Yea! He should win for sure!" Pan added. Zara looked over at the teenager with a smile on her face but then some movement caught her eye. The satellites on Bulma's tower were realigning themselves to point at Bebi again.

"So that's how he's doing it." Zara muttered, attracting the guy's attention.

"Doing what?" Trunks asked.

"Staying Oozaru. Think about it, I may not know much about saiyan transformations but you guys need a tail to become Oozaru, right? Vegeta doesn't have one." She told them. Trunks and Goten looked at Zara still slightly confused but then Gohan noticed the satellites.

"I get it. Bulma is using those to hit Bebi with what's needed for him to go Oozaru! If we destroy them then he should be back to his regular saiyan form!" he announced. The other two demi-saiyans nodded in understanding and Pan smirked at the tower.

"Then what are we waiting for? Lets blow it up all ready!" she yelled and took off. Then, when she was close enough, she fired four relatively weak ki-blasts at the four satellites. This didn't go unnoticed.

Bebi noticed Pan at the last possible second and jumped suddenly to his feet.

"No!" he yelled at the top of his lungs and he flew forward, determined to stop those blasts. Goku turned round in confusion and then noticed Pan. Without a second thought, Goku phased out of sight from pure speed and appeared before Bebi just in time to blast the apes gut before he could even reach Pan and the blasts. That meant that the blasts were free to soar into the four satellites and explode, leaving nothing left but scrap metal.

Now Bebi had no tail and no super powerful artificial moon to keep him in Oozaru mode. If he had had a tail then the light from the earth could have stopped him from turning back but Bebi didn't have that kind of luck. Instead he simply shrunk and lost all of his fur. In a matter of seconds he was back in a regular saiyan body with Vegeta's flame like hair curled slightly forward to represent his horn. Now Bebi had lost most of his power and was no match for Goku and he knew it.

Goku landed calmly in front of the now cowering Bebi Vegeta. Goku watched his opponent carefully before speaking.

"So what have you got to say for yourself?"

Bebi just lowered his head, thinking over his options. He could feel Goku's eyes on him as he thought of his only option: run for it.

Bebi jumped and ran right into Goku with out any warning what so ever and whilst Goku was handling Vegeta's body being thrown at him, Bebi slipped out in liquid form and slid across the floor before becoming solid once more and running as fast as he could into the city remains. He hadn't bothered implanting an egg within Vegeta simply because he partly wanted Vegeta to see what he did to his friends and family and partly because he thought Goku would waste more time with an injured Vegeta then a hostile one.

So Bebi ran until he got to the landing bay where Bulma's ship still stood, completely unharmed and in perfect working order. He'd be able to escape and come back stronger then ever when the time was right…

Goku focused on Vegeta's limp body. The prince was still breathing which was a good sign so Goku laid Vegeta on the floor and then faced the direction he could sense Bebi's ki in.

By now all of the others were running or flying over to Goku to check on him and the prince. They all came to a halt when they saw Goku staring at the sky and followed his gaze.

A small dot was steadily rising in the sky with a familiar ki resting within it.

"Is that?" Pan asked.

"Yea, and he's getting away!" Goten added. Goku ignored his son and the others and stared at the little black dot, following it with his eyes as it slowly crossed paths with the sun. It was at this point that Goku grinned and sunk into an all to familiar stance with his hands cupped at his sides.

"Ka!"

The ship was just entering the path of the sun.

"Me!"

A quarter way through.

"Ha!

One third of the way though.

"Me…HA!"

Bebi's ship was in the dead centre of the sun when Goku fired the blast. The energy moved at light speed as it shot through the air, making it's way to Bebi's ship in a matter of seconds. Eight minutes later and the blast had pushed Bebi all the way into the sun, destroying the mechanical nightmare forever.

* * *

**A/N**: there we go, finished with Bebi. I guess that some of you will be able to guess what I'm going to do next chapter but you'll have to wait and see if you're right. Ja'ne! 


	13. chapter 12: wish

I'm back after my first full week of school. I don't know what to make of it yet but I have a feeling that I'm going to get a heavy flow of homework so updates will probably get kinda slow. But in the mean time…

Reviews!

Chico: I think I know what you're going to guess and I'm going to say…nah. Only 1 kid is coming from the old RP board and that's Eli. You'll have to wait and see what I'll do. Glad to hear you liked last chapter though.

Rejhan: glad you liked it, here's an update.

Son Oliver: you have a habit of knowing what I'm going to do…maybe this is too predictable…nah. Well here's what you asked for and hopefully a surprise.

**Chapter 12: wish**.

Goku smiled to himself as he stared out his bedroom window and at the beautiful blue sky that housed plant, shinning down like a new moon. Everything was peaceful and now was the perfect time to reflect whilst he waited.

He had killed Bebi easily after he had gotten an energy loan from his friends. They had all cheered once Goku had finished blasting the parasite into the sun and Goku had set to work on checking on Vegeta again. He had been fine but his pride had taken an awful beating.

After that Gohan had helped Kibito kai spread the holy water to free the humans and Zara filled everyone else on what was going on for the past week at the lookout. Dende had panicked when he heard that he had willingly let Bebi have the Black star Dragonballs but Zara had told him about how she had saved them. Naturally everyone had wondered if that meant that the count down had been reset but Piccolo had explained that the black stars were already going to blow up the earth and couldn't reset it. It still would have blown 1 year after the first wish, exactly one week later.

Now it was just over a week later and Goku had been a kid now for over a year as well. The Black stars were ready to be used again.

Footsteps were heard running up the stairs at an incredible speed and soon the door was nearly thrown off its hinges. There stood Pan, grinning at her pint-sized grandpa.

"Come on! Everyone's waiting just for us!" she yelled then disappeared again. Goku smiled after her.

"Great, time to get old again." He said rather flatly and then chased after his granddaughter.

Bulma was pacing in front of the glowing orange orbs that were the most powerful of the Dragonballs. Her whole family and Zara were watching her as she did so

"For crying out loud, onna! Stop that before we all go crazy!" Vegeta yelled harshly at her from the doorframe of the nearest building. They were on the edge of one of the empty cities with everyone spread out on rocks or against the same building Vegeta was against. Bulma was further out into the desert with the seven glowing orbs and she was ignoring Vegeta as she continued to pace, worrying about her preparations.

Bra looked at both of her parents. She had been avoiding them after the whole Bebi thing, especially Vegeta after she found out about his absence of an egg. This was the first time in a week that they were all together.

She turned to her big brother who was sitting on a rock next to a standing Zara.

"How come everyone is so on edge? Its not like Goku will miss this." She pointed out. The two adults looked down at her with a smile.

"He won't but it's not that that everyone is worried about. It's not everyday that we have to use something that might blow up a planet." Trunks answered and the looked back out to the desert. A whole line of people had appeared, each one anxious not to miss the event that was about to take place. Goku, his family, Gohan and his, Hercule and then Uub all quickly ran to the others, apologising about being so late on the way. Goku settled next to Bulma as the others found places with the Briefs.

"Sorry about being late Bulma." Goku said from the scientist's elbow. Bulma grinned down at him, waving her hand in a 'not to worry' expression.

"Don't worry about it. Are you ready?" she asked and Goku quickly turned his head to the crowd behind him, all were grinning with anticipation: except Vegeta. Goku then turned back and nodded with a rare serious look on his face.

"Lets do it!"

Bulma nodded and placed her hands out in front of her so that they were hovering over the Dragonballs.

"Arise dragon and grant me my wish!" she yelled.

The sky instantly turned a pitch black and the balls took on a blinding glow. When the glow didn't look like it could get any brighter, it shot upwards in a terrific bolt of lightening that soon took the form of the most impressive of the dragons they had had the chance to lay eyes on. The biggest dragon with the blood red skin and the gold scales round its neck surveyed the group carefully from its advantage point in the sky and then spoke in a booming voice like thunder.

"Name your wish."

The humans in the crowd shuddered slightly and those who had not seen a dragon before were in awe.

"I never thought it would be that big." Bra muttered shakily. Pan nodded and stared with her mouth slightly agape with the trio of young adults next to her.

"I know. I'll never be able to get used to this." Chichi muttered from behind but was then shushed by Bulma.

The scientist stared confidently back up at the dragon and drew in all of her courage.

"I wish for Son Goku to be retuned to his rightful age!" she yelled. The Dragon's eyes glowed a brighter shade of red for a moment before speaking again.

"It has been done. Fare thee well."

Just as the dragon returned to the balls, the effects of the wish overcame Goku. The shame brilliant white light washed over him and the others could only just make out his form growing and aging through the intense light. When it finally faded, a thirty something looking Goku was standing there. Of course in reality he was about 60 but that was just how saiyans aged.

Chichi went teary eyed and soon had tackled her husband into a hug with her sons following. Goku looked round at the smiling faces of his family, and then to Zara and Bulma putting the floating balls into a bag further off.

Gohan clasped his hand onto his father's shoulder and grinned broadly.

"So, how's it feel to be full sized again?" he asked.

"Well, I miss being a kid," he started, looking round at his family and friends again, "But it does feel good to be full sized again."

His family continued congratulate Goku when he finally noticed the only family member that was missing. Goten was standing off from everyone else, glaring down at Uub who just didn't know what to do.

But he didn't have enough time to worry about it however, for Gohan had blocked his view as he announced that he was going after Bulma.

"I want to go find out what Bulma's doing in way of security for those things." He announced and then ran off. Goten had been pulled away from his place by Uub by then by his two friends so Goku pushed his youngest son out of his mind as he concentrated on his wife and granddaughter.

Bulma had made a vault deep underground in planet plant. Gohan had found her and Zara at the entrance that looked rather like a metal cave. It was a tunnel reinforced with a special alloy of titanium that the aging scientist had been working on. It had then been disguised with earth and rocks so no one knew it was there. Even the door had looked like a giant boulder but after Bulma had entered a five-digit code into a hidden control panel, it was obvious that it was more of the alloy that had been shaped and painted to look like a boulder. Gohan caught up with the women just as they were about to enter.

"So this is the site, huh?" he asked as soon as he caught up with them. Bulma nodded and led him inside, down a tunnel and down an elevator.

"It sure is. As soon as all the land agreements are over with then a new capsule corp. warehouse and testing area should be on the site as well so it'll be even safer." Bulma explained, remembering how hard it was to get the land. Now that there was a new planet that could sustain life above earth, many of the big businesses on earth were trying to get as mush land as possible on plant to try and build a new business community on it to make more room on earth. Bulma thought that eventually the earth's crowded population would probably spread to plant as well, but that was a long way off yet.

"So I take it that you thought of everything." Gohan mused as they wondered down a tunnel, snapping Bulma out of her thoughts.

"Oh, I have. Only a select few will be able to get down here. If anyone else tries to get in or breaks any of the control panels then this whole place will go into lock down. Nobody will be able to get these Dragonballs. As for security, just ask Zara. I had her test it." Bulma told the demi-saiyan with a grin. Gohan noted Zara shuddering at the memory.

"The security system is top notch alright. The lasers down here were enough to completely paralyse me. Then after that, Bulma designed it so that once you're down, the floor drops you into a reinforced pit that you won't be able to get out of. And since we're not going to be checking them all that often, you do not want to get stuck in there." she explained as they came to a halt. They had come to the tunnel the lasers were installed in. Bulma allowed the system to give her a retinal scan as well as scanning her fingerprints and voice. Then they continued down the hall to the final vault.

Gohan whistled when they came to it. It was yet another reinforced door with more lasers positioned at critical points round it.

"This seems a bit much for these." He pointed out as Bulma gave her id for the last time.

"It may seem it but I think it's worth it. These are the most powerful balls in existence. People can just wish you all dead if they wanted to and it'll happen. We'll no longer have our greatest defence. Not to mention if they're used then the planet will explode. Just having them around is too great a risk so we can't have them out in the open. This is worth it." The scientist told him and allowed Zara to go inside and place the bag on a pedestal within the vault.

Ten minutes later and they were topside again. They found that everyone had decided to give Goku space and now everyone seemed to be listening to Hercule persuading Pan to join the next tenkaichi budokai. It sounded like he wanted to retire and was going to hold the tournament to find his replacement as world champ so he wanted Pan to compete but was having a hard time.

"Come on Pan, you'll have fun!" he pleaded. Pan simply shook her head.

"No way! No one else is competing that'll make it a challenge! I'd be bored stiff!" she said stubbornly. Goten took this opportunity to embarrass his niece.

"She's just scared that it'll be some human that beats her." He told the crowd. A moment later and a hard rock had been thrown at his head.

"Take it back!" she yelled at him. Goten rubbed his head then glared at Pan.

"No! Not if you're going to throw stuff." He snapped back. Pan growled loudly.

"Take it back! I bet I could beat you!" she snarled, getting close to his face with her hands set firmly on her hips. Goten nearly backed of but ended up standing his ground.

"In your dreams." He said firmly, almost like he was spelling it out. Gohan ran a hand through his hair as he watched and sighed loudly. He was going to have to get involved.

He stepped up to them and pushed them apart.

"Cool it you guys, there is no reason to start world war three here." He announced. Pan turned her back on them and huffed. Goten frowned at his brother.

"Like you can talk. You haven't trained for years. I doubt you can even remember how to fight now." Goten pointed out. Gohan stared at his brother in surprise.

"I train." He said. Everyone looked at him in surprise. They really had thought that Gohan had given up.

"Since when? I never see you train." Pan said as she stared at her father.

"That's because you're in bed. Work and grading gets in the way normally so I don't have time until late at night. But I do train. Do you really think that after the Dabura thing I would stop?" he asked. Everyone simply stared at him. They had all heard the stories of the fight against Buu and how he had escaped so they all knew how poorly Gohan had done against the demon king. He had made so many amateur mistakes that it was obvious that he hadn't trained for years and had lost all feel for fighting. Gohan had wanted to never be like that again so he had taken to training to whenever he could. Just nobody had noticed.

"Look, I'll even take part in the tournament and show you guys there if you don't believe me. I'll just need someone to enter with me." Gohan announced. Goku grinned at this and stepped forward.

"I'll enter with you. I'll like to see just how much you've improved. Didn't get a chance to see properly before." He said and Gohan grinned and nodded at his father.

"I'll enter too." A gruff voice from behind the group interjected. Goku looked over at Vegeta who hadn't moved since his arrival.

"That's great Vegeta!" Goku said and then looked at the other warriors.

"I'll join if you do." Uub said. Goten frowned at Uub.

"Me too." Goten immediately said, "and so will Trunks and Zara." He added making the other two nearly face vault into the floor.

"I might have a meeting that day! And what happened to make you change your mind?" Trunks asked, frowning at his friend. Goten glared back at him, making him immediately shut up and agree.

"Well this should be…fun." Zara said with a sweat drop running down the back of her head as Goten swapped his glare to her, daring her to drop out. But everyone knew that when the day came then those two wouldn't complain and probably would enjoy themselves.

"Well if everybody is entering this thing then I will too." Pan stated, interrupting Goten's little glare out, "And so will Bra!" the teen added and pulled Bra in front of her, leaving the aqua haired girl to blush furiously and agree. She didn't exactly have a choice…

Goku grinned as he looked at the group and clapped his hands together.

"That's great! This should be really good now that everyone is competing." He announced and everyone agreed and soon after began to drift back home, leaving one man to stand alone and worry about what this meant.

"Why did I have to go and open my big mouth around them?" Hercule asked in a near whimper.

It was nearly evening and Bra had spent the day avoiding her father again, still unsure of what he would say.

Avoiding Vegeta tended to be easy, as he seemed to stay in his GR all hours of the day, until he was about to either drop from exhaustion or hunger. And with the tournament closing in he would be in there for even longer so she was in luck. At least she thought she was.

She was wondering the many corridors of the C.C home base, trying to make her way to the living room, when he stepped round the corner. It appeared that he had gone on a food run and now he had her cornered. Bra quickly weighed her options. She could stay and see if he would say anything or she could dive into the nearest room and hide. But it was already too late for the latter as Vegeta had stopped in front of her.

He stared down at his nervous daughter and thought carefully about what he wanted to say.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked in a near bark. Bra looked down and fidgeted nervously.

"I didn't know what to say or how you'd react." She said quietly. Vegeta stared at her then smirked.

"You can be foolish when you want to be." He commented and started to walk back to the G.R. Bra sighed a sigh of relief.

"Girl!" Vegeta called and made Bra instantly stop, holding her breath without realising.

"From now on you train with me, got it?" Vegeta called and then carried on down the hall. Bra sighed again and groaned softly.

"Kami Pan, what have you gotten me into?" she asked and then continued on her way to the living room.

When Bra arrived there, she didn't walk straight into the room as she could hear her brother having a conversation.

"You know he's been acting weird ever since Goku got back." Trunks was saying. He put a glass on the table and sat on the sofa.

"Tell me about it. I thought he was over the whole Uub thing." Someone said with a sigh. It was Zara. She had come over to help Bulma with something in the lab and seemed to now be finished.

"You know 'ten. He just suppresses his problems. Covers them up with corny jokes." Trunks said.

Bra stayed round the door and listened. She knew that Goten hadn't exactly taken Goku leaving well. In fact he had been pretty burned. He had felt like Uub had stolen his dad. He wasn't as used to losing Goku as Gohan and Chichi were. So once he had a dad he had wanted to keep him. Losing Goku to Uub just made Goten feel like Goku didn't want to have him as a son. He had moped around about it for ages, hiding it from everyone else until it was completely buried. Having Goku come back and now make everybody except Uub was probably having a bigger effect on Goten then anybody thought.

"I know that's what he does, and it's a shame. He just refuses help. We can't talk him out of it and now that he has a chance to take on Uub, who knows what he'll do." Zara said with a sigh. Trunks nodded.

"Well at least we'll be there to stop him. We'll just have to keep an eye on him."

"Yea. We'll talk to him. Besides, you have bigger problems then just him. We're both in this tourney now…" Zara pointed out. Trunks laughed slightly and shifted his weight to face the girl.

"If you think that you're my biggest problem then you have to be kidding." He said. Bra decided that with this change of conversation she could walk in. she didn't want to get in to a conversation about something she didn't fully understand. So she walked into the room and stopped at the sight of the other's position.

Trunks was sitting on the right side of the sofa with his arm draped over the back and facing Zara who was leaning closely towards him as she knelt on the sofa.

"We'll see." She said with a smirk then slid off the sofa and onto her feet.

"I better be going anyway. I'm done here and have a lot of work to do at home with my dojo. See ya." And then she was gone; leaving Trunks to stare blankly at the spot she had been standing in.

"Wow, she really does like you." Bra commented as she leant on the doorframe. Trunks jumped and stared at her in startled surprise.

"And if I didn't know any better then I'd say that you like her a lot back." Bra added and made her way to the sofa. Trunks followed her with his eyes, a brow cocked in confusion and suspicion.

"I don't get why you never asked her out." Bra finished as she fell onto the padded seat. Trunks shook his head then stared at his sister.

"Just how much did you see?" he asked. Bra laughed.

"Enough to know you two should stop tip-toeing around and just go for it. Answer the question." She pressed. Trunks sweat dropped and picked up his glass.

"There were a lot of reasons. Including annoying little sisters that ask too much questions." He said, making Bra laugh.

"Ok, I can take a hint. I'll stop but maybe you should just ask her. It's not like you haven't thought of it." Bra then pointed out and left, leaving Trunks to think it over.

_Maybe it is about time I went for it…_he thought and drunk the last of his drink.

On the other side of the world, a group of warriors were busy going all out in their training session. Goku was weaving in and out of attacks from Gohan and Uub, keeping on the move to keep them out of reach. They were so caught up with their training that they didn't even notice that someone had come outside to watch.

Goten stared at Uub in annoyance, taking in every move and every mistake. His face slowly narrowed into a frown.

_I'll beat him…_the young saiyan thought, never taking his eyes off of Uub. _Then we'll see who's better…_

* * *

**A/n**: ok, leaving it there. Who was expecting a tourney? I thought it would be a good time for some character development. So everyone has his or her own little dramas through this story but the main one will be with Goku, just so you know. I just don't want everyone to be pushed a side. 

Expect the next chapter in a week, if not then…sorry. Ja'ne!


	14. chapter 13: sign ups

Reviews:

Chico: I don't see any reason why it wouldn't...but ok. You'll have to e-mail me and tell me whom you think, I'm curious now. Something tells me that you'll be looking forward to chapter 15 as well...

Trugeta: here's the update. Glad you liked it. Lets see how you like the match ups.

Rejhan: thought it would be. Doesn't make much sense to have everyone be fine with Goku just disappearing for ten years. Someone has to be at least a little mad. & Now that Goku is big again, he doesn't have to fight in the Junior division! That was just silly in the show...

Chris: I'll try. Super 17 came after the tourney (that I'm kinda adding in a way) so you won't have to wait long to see him. Enjoy the update!

On with the story!

**Chapter 13: sign ups.**

Papaya Island was bustling with activity. Fighters from all over the world had gathered here to take part in the tenkaichi budokai and even more people had come to watch, a certain group of super warriors and their families included.

"Wow, this place seems to be twice as busy as last time we were all here." Goku commented as he looked round at the crowds.

"Yes," Chichi agreed, "after watching your fight with Uub, this tournament has gotten even more popular. Everyone keeps coming just to see if there will ever be a fight like that again."

"Well they're not going to be disappointed." A voice added from the woman's elbow. Krillen and his family had come to watch as well.

"That's for sure. Lets just make sure that nothing bad happens like the last two times we were here." Bulma said from behind Goku and his wife. All of the Z gang – except Vegeta – sweat dropped nervously and Goku laughed.

"We'll try not go off on some adventure but we can't exactly help it. Right guys?" he said and looked over his shoulder at the others. Vegeta was being his normal distant self whilst Trunks and Zara seemed to be in deep conversation with Marron but Goten wasn't even paying attention. In fact he was completely silent which was so unlike him…

"We may not but you're a magnet for that kind of thing Goku." Krillen joked, pulling Goku out of his thoughts of his son.

"I guess I am, kinda." He laughed along with the others at the front.

The youngest of the group were behind the rest of the z gang. They were all still talking when Marron stopped and noticed Goten. She paused for a moment and then grabbed the young Son man's arm.

"Come on, I want to have some fun before the fights start." She quickly said as she dragged the shocked man off, the other four following close behind.

Marron convinced the rest of the group to go have fun on the attractions and pulled Goten off to the side. They stayed out of view behind a stall.

"I thought you said that you wanted to go have fun, not talk." Goten commented suspiciously. Marron lent against the stall and stared at the saiyan before her.

"We're worried about you, Goten." She said after a moments pause. She watched him carefully, her shinning blue eyes deep with concern.

"Well don't be," he said then smiled, "I'm fine. Can we go now?" he began to walk off but Marron grabbed his arm.

"No, you're not." She said and Goten looked back at her. Her eyes were pleading with him to stay.

"I know you better then you think. I know Uub is bothering you-"

Goten jerked out of Marron's grasp, catching her off guard. He stared at her with a frown etched onto his face. Marron stared right back at him.

"Goten, you can talk to me. You've been coming to my café for ages. Years even. And every time you do we talk. I would have thought that you could tell me anything by now."

Goten surveyed the blonde girl in the pink summer dress then sighed heavily. He walked back to her and leant against the stall next to her.

"He stole my dad, Marr." He started. Marron kept watching him the whole time as Goten stayed focused on his feet.

"He stole him. You don't know what that's like. My whole life I wondered what it would be like to have a dad. I was even jealous of Trunks sometimes for having Vegeta. Then mine finally comes back and it was great. I had what I was missing for all those years. Sure I had had Gohan but he wasn't a father. It was unfair that he had to look after me like that but then mine came back and he could move on and make his new family. I had a dad." Goten said and smiled at the memories. But that smile quickly turned back to a frown.

"Then Uub came and everything changed. Everything had been perfect. Our family had been complete for the first time in years. We were happy but then Dad had to run off with…with him! It was almost like dad didn't even care anymore! He just took off! I had to look after mum and the house while Uub stole dad. I could have gone and done something with my life but instead I had to stay and look after mum and get a damn pointless job that I hate to keep us in the house and with food. I didn't have anything anymore! And it was all his fault!" Goten clenched his fist round the wood of the stall and accidentally broke it in half, causing Marron and anyone else near it to cry out in alarm and jump aside. Goten stared at his hand then apologised to the stall's owner with a nervous scratch of the back of his head.

Marron watched Goten carefully and sighed. She was about to say something that would probably of made Goten feel better but two teenage girls choose that moment to catch up with them.

"Geese Goten, don't tell me that you're still hooked up on that whole Uub thing." Pan said as she and Bra approached them, licking ice cream that was piled high on their cones.

"You should get over it already. Uub is an ok guy when you get to know him."

"And kinda cute too." Bra added between licks and a giggle.

Goten scowled at the pair of them and, after one quick glance at Marron, stormed off into the crowd. Marron stared after him and let off a worried sigh.

"Poor Goten…"

Trunks's face was one of concentration as he stared at his target, eyes never moving away. He gripped the ball in his hands as tightly as he dared and then, when the moment was right, he tossed the baseball at a small jar in the middle of a line. The shot was too long and the ball bounced off the rim, landing harmlessly on the ground next to it.

"Aw man…" He muttered as he stared at the ball. It had been his last.

"Oh, so close." Zara chuckled from his right. Trunks looked over at her as she lent casually against the stall. He quickly gave her the once over and then stepped aside.

"Yea, well lets see you better."

Zara flashed him a smile and collected three balls.

"Ok then." She said and then casually tossed them at the very same jar Trunks had gone for. The first bounced of the rim, the second rolled round the rim before falling off the wrong side but the third was different. It looked like it would surely miss but at the last second it swerved slightly to the left and landed straight into the jar. Trunks stared at her in near astonishment as the man handed her a prize.

"I do believe that was one better." Zara said as she held the stuffed toy, a purple cat. Trunks chuckled at her.

"True, but we don't all have telekinesis on our side." He pointed out. Zara put on a fake look of hurt.

"I didn't cheat. Besides, you could have used your ki, mister." She said and smiled. He smiled back.

"Yea, could have, but that would have been cheating, now wouldn't it." He pointed out and led the way towards the others.

"Ok then, you can have the cat if you feel cheated then." She said, and offered it to him, making him laugh.

"Nah, but I want to ask you something." He said and stopped in the main stream of people. Zara stopped and faced him with a look of curiosity.

"Ok, shoot."

Trunks stared into her large, golden orbs and took in a deep breath.

"Well you see…" he started and hesitated, leaving Zara to look expectantly at him. He quickly sorted out the jumble of words that were flying through his head and was finally ready to speak when something strong pushed in between the two, making them both stumble backwards.

"Hey!" Zara yelled at the guy then stopped.

"Goten?" Trunks asked and his friend turned round and gave them a cold stare.

"Come on, we've got sign ups." He said then stalked off. Zara sighed and the couple started following the moody saiyan.

"So what were you going to say?" she asked Trunks as they walked along. Trunks glanced at Goten - who was still in earshot - and sighed.

"Nothing."

The stadium was completely filled up. There wasn't a single spot on the towering benches that wasn't occupied. This was almost worrying for the younger z fighters as this meant the chances of being recognised would increase, but that small worry was quickly replaced with excitement.

"Sure is packed, huh?" Goku said with an enthusiastic grin on his face. Gohan nodded at his father's side.

"Yea…sure is…" he muttered. Vegeta glanced at Gohan.

"You're not thinking of backing out now, boy, are you? We wouldn't want a coward in our midst." He smirked. Gohan shook his head and straightened up."

"No way! I'm no coward!" Gohan declared. Goku smiled at his son but couldn't help getting the feeling that something was missing. He glanced over his shoulder at Goten who was still being strangely silent and staring at Uub.

Trunks nudged Goten's arm as he caught his friend staring again.

"Hey, don't worry about him. Why don't we just enjoy ourselves while we're here? Just look where we are." Trunks told his long time friend. Goten broke his stare and looked at Trunks and then at all of the other fighters that had made it past the punching machine.

"Do we have to look?" Zara joked from behind Trunks. Goten couldn't help smiling.

Most of the people that had gotten past the punch machine looked like jokes. There was a pair on the far side of the ring having a quick warm up spar. They both looked more like professional wrestlers instead of martial artists. One was a black man wearing a red outfit and the other was a white guy in navy blue. Both had shaved all of their hair off.

Next to them was a masked man known as 'the arachnid'. He was a fighter well known for speed and for being unpredictable. His out fit was a black suit with a web design over it and a spider emblem over his mask and chest. He also had a white cape that looked a lot like webbing. His suit completely covered him and he was busy surveying the others.

The next two over was a 20-something girl with her black hair braided into a long plait. She was wearing a tight navy blue gi and was listening intently to a good-looking man with gelled blonde hair in the style of all of the recent pop stars. It looked like he cared more about his hair then the tournament, or maybe getting a date.

The last two humans had a very familiar outfit that all of the older z fighters recognised instantly.

"Hey! They must be Tien's students!" Krillen exclaimed from his place in the stands. He was sitting with 18, Marron, Roshi, Oolong and Paur in the middle of the stands with Chichi, Videl, Bulma and Yamcha in the row in front.

Videl looked over her shoulder at them.

"Tien has students now?" she asked. She had only met Tien a few times and most of the gang hadn't seen him for years so no one really knew what he had been up to. Except for Krillen and Yamcha that is.

Krillen nodded at the woman but it was Yamcha that explained.

"Yea, some kids tracked him down a few years back after hearing of a great martial artist that trained in the mountains. They found him and kept asking him to train them until he finally gave in and did it. This is their first tournament."

Bulma smiled at hearing this as she carefully watched the two young men in question.

"That's almost a shame. They're going to have to go against the strongest people in the whole universe. A bit much for their first budokai." She said with a chuckle and the others all had to agree.

The balding announcer finally made his way onto the ring with two monks following holding the ball box. They set the box onto a table that had been brought along as the announcer addressed everyone and the fighters gathered round him.

"Ok, this has been working fine for the last couple of Budokais and so we're going to use it again. All you have to do is draw a numbered ball from the box and that will determine whom you'll be fighting. Everyone ok with that? Lets have arachnid come up first then!" he explained and the costumed clad man walked up to the ball box and drew a 14. His name was then written down next to the corresponding part of the leaders board.

Next came the two wrestlers. The white one got a 12 and the black one got a 2. Then came Bra. She walked confidently to the box and after some rummaging she got a 6. It took a while to get to the rest of the Z gang as the last few humans went first but they soon came and went. Goku got an 11, Gohan got 13 and Goten got 7. Pan was after Goten and she got 5, pairing her up with Bra.

The three eldest saiyans all gave each other challenging looks as they silently betted which girl would win. The rivalry between the Sons and Briefs would surely come back full force in this match up.

Trunks was next and he quickly drew a 10 and then came what Goten was waiting for. Uub had to draw.

The human quickly breathed out and then made his way almost nervously to the box, knowing all eyes were on him.

_Its ok, Uub, It's just a whole stadium of people watching you. No big…_he thought as he reached the box. He put his hand into the box and rummaged around in it until he had a firm hold on a ball. When he pulled it out all of the younger members of the Z gang gasped.

"This can't be good." Zara muttered. Trunks looked over at Goten and rested his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"You better not be too hard on him." Trunks muttered to Goten but he wasn't listening. Instead he was smiling dangerously at Uub.

Uub had drawn 8.

Vegeta was called forth next and the saiyan drew a ball as quickly as possible and tossed it at the announcer without even looking. The poor announcer fumbled about as he tried to get a firm hold. When he finally held the ball properly, he adjusted his glasses and stared at the ball.

"1" he announced cheerfully, making the z gang - except Uub – sweat drop. Uub looked round at them all in confusion and then looked at Goku.

"Is that bad?" He asked. Goku looked at his student and straightened up, grinning his famous grin.

"In a way, yes. He doesn't even humour those weaker then him. This fight will be over in a matter of seconds. The crowd is really going to miss out." He explained and Uub nodded with a slight sweat drop and a grin as well.

"See what you mean." He said and laughed. Goten was watching them through their little conversation and he was now glaring at the young man. Uub was treating Goku like his own father so this was just another example of his crimes to Goten.

Zara quickly pointed Goten out to Trunks before running up to collect her ball. There wasn't much point as she was last though…

She got 9 and the standings looked like this:

Vegeta V.S Butch  
Daisuke V.S Eisuke  
Pan V.S Bra  
Goten V.S Uub  
Zara V.S Trunks  
Goku V.S Bruno  
Gohan V.S the arachnid  
Tara V.S Haru

* * *

****

**A/N**: Ok, there's another chapter done. Kinda short compared to the last few. Meh, oh well, we have some interesting matches set up just for the first round. So, who will win? Find out next time! Ja'ne!


	15. chapter 14: it begins

Well, looks like you all liked the match ups. Yay!

Reviews:

Son Oliver: I'm trying to show that Goku suspects that something is wrong with Goten but he hasn't had a chance to work it out properly yet thanks to the others getting in his way. Like when Gohan keeps talking to Goku and stepping in front of him. So Goku probably won't think much of it at the match. But everybody that was in the budokai in 'the girl next door' should know what's going on with Goten as well as Chichi.

Super saiyan 4 chichi: um…he can still transform into a super 4, I just haven't called it that yet (not sure if anyone noticed). But if it's the whole Goku being big again thing you don't like then…well, you're the first…

Erica: ah, you think so, eh? (Insert wicked evil smirk) not going to tell you which are wrong so you're going to have to wait and see.

Trugeta: looks like most people liked the whole 'Goten hates Uub' thing as well. Glad you liked.

Chico: well it'll have the Goten v Uub fight in it so you should like it. But you'll have to wait another week, unless something happens that forces me to update tomorrow…

Rejhan: glad you liked! Looks like you don't have to wait much longer.

Onwards to…um…fiction! (What? It's early…)

**Chapter 14: it begins.**

Vegeta vs. Butch  
Daisuke vs. Eisuke  
Pan vs. Bra  
Goten vs. Uub  
Zara vs. Trunks  
Goku vs. Bruno  
Gohan vs. The Arachnid  
Tara vs. Haru

The whole crowd stared at the match ups for as long as the monks would allow, fighters sizing up their opponent and already preparing themselves mentally for the match.

Vegeta glanced over at Butch and Bruno, the wrestler duo, and scoffed. Goku just grinned a Son grin.

"Be nice Vegeta." He joked and the proud Prince shot Goku an annoyed glance.

"Those two are not even worthy of a saiyans time." He muttered and made his way back to the waiting room, Goku following along with the others. Goku watched all of the human fighters on the way and noted how much they changed now that they knew whom they would be up against.

Haru – the typical pretty boy that all the tournaments seemed to get - had put on the charm at full now that he knew he was against Tara. Goku watched Tara giggle and flirt back but he had a feeling that she was only pretending to be interested.

The Arachnid had been staring at Gohan ever since their numbers had been called and now he was circling a nervous Gohan. He was trying to work out Gohan's reach and speed to use against him in the match. And Gohan looked slightly uncomfortable with the masked fighter circling him. The mask prevented him from knowing exactly where the Arachnid was staring…

The final two pairs of humans had paired up and were making their way inside. The wrestlers were talking about what they were going to do with their prize money – as they obviously thought that everyone there were pushovers – and Daisuke and Eisuke were playing the part of two best friends messing around. Goku guessed that Tien had agreed to train them because they probably reminded him of the good old days when Goku and Krillen were kids and the most they had to worry about was Pilaf. Goku almost felt sorry for the two kids, as whoever won between them would no doubt have to face a bored Vegeta.

Goten watched His father carefully for a moment and then turned his gaze on to Uub, who had managed to get right next to Goten with out him even noticing.

"Good luck in our match. I'm looking forward to it." Uub said and smiled at Goten, raising his hand in a friendly manner, asking for it to be shaken. Goten simply stared at the hand, slightly taken by surprise.

"Goku has told me a lot about you…" Uub added nervously, hoping to get a conversation going. Goten's face contorted into one of anger and he turned his back on Uub.

"Just get ready for our fight." Goten barked out and quickly made his way to the waiting area. Uub stared at the back of the Son man in confusion and then looked to his side where Trunks and Zara were standing. Trunks sighed heavily and started to walk off.

"I'll go talk to him." He told the two whilst thinking _like it'd do any good._

Uub watched Trunks go then looked to Zara who was shaking her head.

"Err…what's going on?" Uub asked her. Zara looked straight at him with those intense eyes of hers, making him flinch slightly. He wasn't used to most of the gang yet.

"Goten just has a lot of issues he needs to work out." She told him, keeping a straight face.

"What kind of issues?" he asked. Zara looked in the general direction she could sense the boys in.

"I'm not normally one to get into other peoples business, it's just that Goten has certain problems with his dad right now that he needs to work out." She said and then started to walk off. She stopped after a few paces and looked over her shoulder at Uub.

"A piece of advice. Be especially careful in your match against Goten." And with that she left, leaving Uub behind.

Goten leant against the wall of the waiting area whilst Trunks stood firmly in front of him with his arms folded tightly across his chest.

"Look, he doesn't even know what he did. Besides, I don't think its Uub you're mad at. I think its Goku so talk to him." The lavender haired saiyan told his friend who laughed.

"Shows what you know Trunks. I'm mad at the both of them, Uub for taking dad away and dad for going. That should have been me he wanted to train and hang around with, not some other kid!"

Trunks stared at Goten who now wore a calm glare. Trunks sighed at his friend.

"Ok, that was unfair but you know Goku. He's not exactly the type to hang around for too long. I know you want to go prove yourself but don't do anything you might regret." He told Goten calmly.

"I'm not going to regret this. I'm going to beat Uub and prove I'm better. Now if your girlfriend would stop talking to the enemy then it would all be prefect." Goten replied, equally as calm as Zara made her way over to their little corner.

"He's not my enemy, goat-ten, and he talked to me." She told him as she came to a halt beside Trunks. Trunks glanced at her and then frowned at Goten.

"And you know she's not my girlfriend so would you stop with that joke? We're not kids anymore."

Goten grinned at his two friends and stepped away from the wall.

"Tell it to Zar-zar." He said then pushed past them and turned to face them as he walked away.

"Besides, you should stop fooling yourself. I've seen you checking her out and vice versa. So I'm going to make it easy for you two. Trunks likes Zara and Zara likes Trunks. Go to that restaurant Trunks takes out all his dates and work it out. When you're done with that, you can meddle with my problems all you want. Just deal with your own first." He called and then took off down the hall to wait for his match and leaving a very red couple behind.

There was a long, very awkward silence between the two until Zara finally decided to break the ice.

"So…is what he said true or was that just him messing with our heads?" She asked and momentarily shifted her gaze from her feet to Trunks then back again. Trunks could feel a rather large sweat drop rolling down the back of his head as he tried to find an answer to her question.

"Well…err…um…" he stuttered, praying to Dende and the kais the whole time for some kind of diversion. Zara was now watching Trunks closely as he struggled to get out a sentence, a small smile spreading across her face the whole time until Trunks was sure she was going to laugh, that's when the others decided to show up.

"Still can't believe I'm near the end. That's too long to wait." Goku was saying to Gohan and Uub. Gohan was laughing.

"I know, Pan, Bra and the others aren't exactly going to hurry." He said and then noticed the very red Trunks and slightly confused Zara.

"Err, what's up with him?" he asked. Zara shrugged.

"He's been like this for a couple of minutes now. Hopefully he'll unfreeze before our match." She explained. Goku laughed at this.

"If he gets any redder then he'll probably melt. Now come on, Vegeta's match is about to start."

"You mean finish, he'll only take about five nano-seconds." Gohan commented, making the others laugh as they went towards the screened entrance to watch.

Trunks stood there for a couple more seconds and then spoke.

"Maybe…" he muttered and then noticed that he was alone.

"Damn it!" he cursed and ran after the others.

When Trunks caught up with the others, Vegeta's fight had barely even started. He was glad that he wasn't too late but was still embarrassed as Zara ribbed him and then gave him a questioning look that he responded with a 'tell you later' gesture after looking at the crowd round the screen. He and Zara were on the right of it with Pan and Bra floating behind it with their arms and chins rested on the large screen and finally Uub, Goku and Gohan were on the left. It was a bit too crowded for a private talk, which was a shame because he had finally worked out what he wanted to say…

Vegeta was standing at the far end of the Ring with his arms firmly crossed. He was staring coldly at the large, dark skinned man in front of him that was quickly doing some last minute stretches with a confident smirk on his face.

"Look gramps, if I were you I'd forfeit now because you ain't got a hope in hell of getting past me." Butch said as he straightened up and flexed his enormous, muscular arms. Vegeta was unfazed by this so the big guy grinned.

"You're either deaf or stupid so I'll show you what I mean." He announced then lunched into a charge, almost like a rhino would. Vegeta stared at the muscular mass that was heading straight for him and then, when the moment was exactly right, he fazed out of sight and the next thing Butch knew, a foot had collided with his chin and had set him flying backwards and directly into the wall above the screen. A moment later and he had slid down and had landed flat on his front with the whole of the competing z gang watching unblinkingly at him.

"Wow, that has got to be a new record!" Pan commented, the others all agreeing with her as the medical team took the poor guy away on a stretcher and Vegeta made his way into the room.

The rest of the audience however weren't as understanding as the z gang and the whole of it – minus the z gangs family and friends – shared matching looks of utter surprise. It took the announcer sometime to realise that the fight was in fact over.

"Wow! Can you believe that ladies and gentlemen? Butch, one of the finalists from the last two budokais, has been beaten within the space of a matter of seconds! If you blinked then you probably missed the whole thing! That has got to of hurt! But moving on, here are two boys that are guaranteed to be a hit as they are the students of an old favourite here. These are the students of Tienshinhan, give it up for Daisuke and Eisuke!" the announcer announced and the whole crowd cheered as the two nervous boys made their way out onto the ring for the first time.

The Z gang all felt slightly sorry for those two as they could tell right away that all though they were powerful, they were nowhere near the same league as the saiyans. But that quickly passed as the match started. It turned out to be very entertaining to watch those two and Goku could tell that those two could no doubt become as powerful as the human z fighters if they trained hard enough. It was a shame that the winner had to go against Vegeta of all people.

It was still enjoyable and amazing to see just how far Tien had brought them. They could manipulate their ki perfectly as demonstrated when the fight took to the air and everyone was on the edge of their seats when the two fire simultaneous Dodon-pas that met head on high above the ring. After a long struggle, Eisuke managed to over power Daisuke and the poor little guy was sent plummeting into the ground below, only just missing the edge of the ring.

"Aw, I wanted Daisuke to win." Pan muttered as she stared out at the boy. He had just been rejoined by Eisuke and seemed to be sharing a joke. Eisuke seemed to pale as Daisuke laughed.

"Guess he just realised who his next opponent will be." Trunks commented.

"Poor guy, he deserves good fight next, not to be hit out with one hit." Bra said from her perch.

"Aw, come on guys, they had a really good fight, that's what counts. Who cares about what Vegeta will do?" Goku interjected, earning a scoff from Vegeta who was leaning against the wall next to Trunks.

"Enough with these weaklings. It is time for a real match. Girls, get out there, you're being called." Vegeta said moodily and both girls hurried to jump over the screen and over to the announcer who was still introducing them.

"Good luck you two!"

"Do us proud!" the two elder Son men yelled after the girls and Vegeta smirked.

"Your runt will need all the luck you can give her." Vegeta muttered as he smirked after his little princess. Zara suppressed a laugh as she looked at Vegeta.

"I hate to burst your bubble Vegeta but Bra can't go super yet." She pointed out and Vegeta remained silent.

The match had started and the signal had been given. The two girls kept into tight stances and slowly circled round the ring, never breaking eye contact. Some clouds slowly floated across the sun high above, casting a shadow over the arena and still the girls waited, watching the other with rapt attention. The cloud continued to float lazily across the sun and as soon as it past and the shadow lifted, the girl leapt forward, taking this as a signal to start.

Pan started with a right hook that caught Bra on the cheek. Bra recoiled and then quickly continued into a spin kick that Pan blocked and pushed aside before being hit in the chest by Bra's palm and then blast. Pan was pushed backwards but she quickly recovered and shot forward in a head butt that Bra flew over and placed a well-placed kick on Pan's back. Pan ended up rolling over and facing Bra and then shooting a multitude of blasts at Bra who barely dodged and ended up being hit by three and then a by a high kick and a double blow from Pan.

Bra landed hard on the tiled surface of the ring and rolled over to face Pan.

_Great, I'm going to have to take this up a notch. Maybe it is a good thing that dad started training me…_she thought and then flipped onto her feet.

Pan smirked and flew down to meet Bra in a flurry of punches that were quickly returned. The two girls slowly began to rise higher into the air, auras flaring to life, as they continued to exchange attacks. Pan weaved in and out of most of Bra's attacks until finally Bra caught the other girl by surprise with a knee to the gut followed by Bra grabbing Pan's shirt and hitting her hard with three kicks and using a forth to send her back to the ring.

Bra quickly out stretched her arms, keeping her palms facing Pan, and gathered her energy. She then quickly brought her hands together in front of her and fired a blast that should have had enough power to knock her friend out.

Pan's eyes widened when she rolled over and spotted the final flash sailing towards her. She only had seconds to leap out of the way but Bra fired another blast followed by another and another after the girl. Pan quickly jumped away from all the blasts, paying close attention to Bra's energy level. Then, when Bra had slowed down enough, Pan materialised next to her friend and backhanded her to down to the edge of the ring. Bra bounced off the edge and landed in a heap on the grass.

"And the winner by ring out is Son Pan! Give her a hand folks!" the announcer yelled and with it came a wave of cheers and clapping from the stands. Most of the time the girls had moved to fast to see but the crowd was satisfied with what they had seen.

Bra groaned as she got to her feet, realising that she had lost. She frowned and then looked up to see Pan's hand directly in front of her face.

"Good match, but I thought I taught you better then that. You just used up all of your energy." She said, smiling. Bra's frown turned into a smirk.

"Yea, well it was my first real fight, remember? I'm still learning." She said and took Pan's hand and then pulled her off of the platform. Pan landed on her feet and led the way back to the waiting area. Everyone started congratulating the girls on the fight, except Vegeta who simply stared at his daughter, making her feel very uncomfortable. Trunks noticed this and put a hand on his sister's shoulder.

"Don't pay him any attention. He's just on another one of his 'didn't beat Kakarot spawn' things. He sometimes gets relapses like this. Don't worry about it, you did great. Just expect doubled training sessions from now on." He told her, and oddly enough didn't help that much.

_Well…at least I got close._ She thought and then joined Pan in listening to stories of past battles between the two saiyan families.

* * *

A/N: yay, done! Hopefully that was ok. I managed to humiliate Trunks and have Pan win her first fight! So what does everyone think?

Oh, and if you're wondering, Trunks went through the weird embarrassment thing because he was going to say something about Goten messing around with their heads but didn't want Zara to get the wrong idea so didn't know what to say. So it took him five minutes to say maybe…meh, you guys know he's not exactly sharp sometimes…

Anyway, next chapter should be in a week unless I get incredibly bored tomorrow. Ja'ne! 


	16. chapter 15: fight for a father's love

Well you guys are in luck, I'm in a bored/good mood so I think I'll update! Yay!

Reviews:

Rejhan: (imagines it) ah, Zara's turn to get frozen. He'll be in Canada by the time she snaps out of it and they'll miss the match! And I have got to stop having so much chocolate. Glad you liked it, I just love humiliating my favourite characters, heh.

DBGT Goku: we'll see. Maybe he'll calm down after the match, who knows?

Trugeta: yes, I updated! I'm doing it again too! & I totally agree with you, GT should have had this in it, foolish show. There is a lot of tension and Uub is totally clueless. Poor guy…know idea what he's getting into…

Chico: nice thing to pray about…can I blame you whenever I get bored now? Joke, anyway, glad you liked. Bra still has a long way to go so Pan had to win, so now is what you were waiting for!

**Chapter 15: fight for a father's love.**

Trunks had lead Zara out to the courtyard behind the waiting area whilst the next match got sorted out. Trunks was finally ready to just come out and say what he wanted to.

"Isn't it Goten's fight with Uub next? He maybe acting like a jerk right now but we kinda have to go watch." Zara was saying. Trunks nodded thoughtfully and came to a halt in the middle of the courtyard. He turned and faced her.

"I know. This is kind of an important match. It's just about what Goten said before…" Trunks started and a smile made it's way across Zara's face.

"Oh yea, that. This I have to hear." She said and Trunks went slightly red.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she started, " judging the amount of time it took you to snap out of your little stuttering fit, I'd say it was something big."

Trunks turned a slightly darker shade of red and cleared his throat.

"Oh…" he muttered. Zara stared at him expectantly.

"So what was it you wanted to say?"

Trunks cleared his throat once again and gazed straight into her eyes.

"Well, you see, Goten…he may not be to far off-"

"In fact he's right behind you." A new voice interrupted and Trunks let out a groan. Zara raised her brow at Trunks and then turned to Goten.

"What is it Goten? Trunks had something he wanted to tell me." She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. Goten didn't pay it any attention.

"I want to know why you guys aren't in there. My fights coming up and you two have to watch."

Zara frowned at this and folded her arms across her chest.

"Watch what? You mess with Uub? Think I'll pass." She then turned her back on him. Goten groaned.

"If this is about what I said before then sorry. You know I hate people prying into my business. You guys don't have to get all mushy and express feelings. That's what homes for. Do that later, right now you watch bloody violence." He told them and then began to pull his two friends back to the waiting area. Trunks pulled his arm away.

"Hey! I was actually going to say something important though." He told his friend. Goten stopped and smirked.

"Oh, ok. You can say it in front of me then." He said and stared expectantly at Trunks who went even redder.

"Guess it can wait…" he mumbled and with a triumphant grin, Goten dragged his friends to the waiting area. He wanted everyone to see this…

Uub stared out to the ring as he waited for the announcer to finish his introduction. He had a bad feeling about this match. The words that Zara had said to him kept playing in his head.

_Be especially careful in your match against Goten._

"Hey, you ok?" Goku's voice interrupted his thoughts. Uub looked up to his master and flashed a nervous smile.

"Yeah, just a little nervous." He told him, not wanting to seem scared in front of his mentor.

Goku grinned down at Uub.

"Don't worry, it's only Goten-" Goku started but was cut off.

"What is that supposed to mean?" it was Goten. He had just come back and now stood with a fixed glare on his father and with his two friends on either side of him.

"Don't you think I'm capable of beating Uub? Don't you think I could be a threat? Or do you really think that everything is fine?" Goten asked. Goku looked clueless a he stared at his youngest son in surprise. Everyone in the small waiting room now was watching Goku.

"What? I didn't mean any of that, you didn't even let me finish." Goku said and continued to stare at his son. Goten scoffed.

"I know what you meant." Goten said coldly and continued to glare. Gohan quickly got between Goten and his father.

"Hold on Goten, you're not being fair. You didn't let dad finish." He said. Goten didn't stop glaring at his father.

"Aren't I? He hasn't been fair for the past ten years. I think I'm being reasonable." Goten told his brother and silence filled the room as those words sunk in. Goku continued to look confused and concerned at his youngest along with Uub. Gohan frowned at Goten whilst Trunks and Zara couldn't look at anyone, as they didn't want to take sides. Everyone else in the room was focused on the scene.

"Will Goten and Uub please come to the ring? This is the final call!" the announcer called from outside. Goten glanced to the entrance then back at his father and Uub.

"I have a match to win." He said bluntly and then left. Uub looked up at Goku for guidance. Goku motioned for him to go and then turned to the others in the room.

"What was that about?" he asked as Uub hurried out. Zara and Trunks were silent and simply stared at the floor. Gohan growled. He hadn't been able to talk to Goten very often after he got his career and married Videl but he could imagine what his brother was going through.

"He's just not used to it, that's all." Gohan told his father and then stalked off to the corner of the room. He couldn't watch.

Goku watched Gohan and then turned to Zara and Trunks.

"Used to what?" He asked. Zara was the one to look up at him.

"You mean you can't guess?" she asked. Trunks shook his head softly and placed his hand on her waist.

"Come on, we better watch." He told her and then gently pulled her over to the screen. Goku stared at them in confusion and then turned to watch the match as well.

Goten and Uub stood on opposite sides of the ring. Goten's face looked as though it were set in stone as he stared coldly at Uub. Uub held a confused stare as he stuck to a defensive stance and watched the saiyan carefully.

The announcer gave the signal to start and still the two men continued their stare down.

"I'm going to make you regret what you did to my family." Goten said in a low, flat voice that made Uub's expression change to a startled one.

"Wait, what?" he asked but it was too late.

Goten had launched forward with an anger filled battle cry and fazed out of sight. Uub had mere seconds to raise his arms to block the blow to his face but Goten caught him with a blow to the gut. Uub doubled over it and Goten fired a blast that sent the younger man flying into the air. Goten shot up after him, not even giving Uub a second to regain his wits as he attacked.

Uub was battered and beaten and then tossed to the other side of the ring where he finally managed to gain some control. Uub flared out his pink aura as much as possible and stared at Goten who floated further away, still with a stony stare set on Uub. Uub frowned and then powered up as much as he could before Goten went into the attack again.

This time Uub was ready for him as he caught Goten's wrist and elbowed Goten several times in the face and then aimed a kick that was pushed aside. Uub was then hit hard by Goten's fist and as the younger man let go, Goten grabbed Uub's wrist and swung him round before throwing him hard into the ring.

The crowd gasped at Goten's treatment of Uub and up in the stands, his family and friends were in shock.

"What's that kid doing? Is he trying to kill him?" Yamcha asked, wide eyed.

"Well he's going overboard to say the least." Krillen replied. The rest of the group were silent until Chichi shot to her feet.

"What's my baby doing?" she yelled. The group watched her and Bulma tried to pull her back into her seat. Marron couldn't take her eyes off of Goten.

_Goten…don't do anything you'll regret…_she thought whilst biting her lip.

Uub raised both of his arms above his head as Goten slammed his fists into them. Goten pulled his arms to his side and then shot them into Uub's exposed gut. Uub winced and then shot his knee up to catch Goten in the same spot. Goten grunted and flung his fist at Uub's face but he ducked and returned one of his own that met Goten's.

Fist met fist and knee met knee as they continued attacking with everything they had, Goten out of anger and Uub in defence. Their hands shot forward and grabbed each other as they attempted to push the other back but neither was able to gain any ground. Goten burst into super saiyan mode as he tried to push Uub back and then pulled Uub forward to meet his knee. Uub's nose collided with it, instantly breaking, and Goten then grabbed Uub's collar and dragged him ever higher into the air, driving his fist repeatedly into the younger man's stomach before kicking him back down to the ring below.

Uub just managed to save himself before he collided with the tiled surface and had to quickly swerve to the side as Goten's fist came flying down and ended up planting a large hole into the ring. Goten growled as he pulled his arm out of the concrete and when he looked round for his target, he was met with Uub's foot colliding with his face and sending him flying. Uub followed through with a blast but what he hit was a mere after image.

Uub looked around for any signs of Goten and then felt his presence behind him. Uub looked round and stared straight into Goten's face. Goten stared coldly back.

"It's time we finished this." The young saiyan said coldly. Goten then set his feet shoulders length apart and then powered up. His aura burst out as his hair stood as sharper points and he ascended to level two but he kept going and Uub's eyes widened to the size of saucers, as Goten's hair grew out to his knees still in jagged points.

Uub noticed that this was only the sub level of super saiyan three but he drew little comfort from it. Yes he could handle it but he was running low on energy.

_You can heal!_ A voice seemed to yell in the back of Uub's head and he then felt like smacking himself. He had forgotten about the abilities he had gained from Buu back on Plant.

So he concentrated on the ability he needed and slowly his injuries began to close up and he could feel some strength returning.

It wasn't fast enough. Goten had already reached his peak. The saiyan pushed off of the ground and leapt straight at Uub and started attacking before the younger man could finish healing or even come up with a defence.

Goten hit Uub on either side of the face then re-broke his nose. He then followed through with a high spinning kick that sent Uub flying to the other side of the ring. Goten appeared above Uub on the other side of the ring and fisted him into the tiled surface and carried on pressing the younger man into the tiles. Uub let out a cry of pain and Goten jumped back and stared at his handy work. Uub hadn't even had a chance to raise his power to match Goten's, let alone defend himself. He was now a bloody mess but still conscious and now the young man's dark eyes were staring up at Goten almost fearfully.

Goten watched Uub carefully, absorbing the look, and then raised his palm. Golden energy swirled in front of it, forming a perfectly spherical blast that made Uub's eyes double in size. The blast was pointed at his head.

Goku couldn't believe what he was seeing. Goten wasn't supposed to be that rough. He couldn't understand why Goten was so angry and now his son had gotten carried away.

"Goten! What are you doing? Stop!"

Goten wasn't listening.

"Goten!" this time Trunks was the one yelling. Zara was by his side, ready to stop the blast telekinetically if she had to. Everyone was on edge. Vegeta had nearly stepped away from the wall as he watched Goten and Gohan was still inside hoping his brother wouldn't make the mistake.

Goten added power to the blast. He was completely focused. But then something got through.

Chichi was nervously biting her handkerchief as she watched. She couldn't look away. No one could. They couldn't believe how far Goten would take it.

Marron jumped to her feet as she watched Goten.

"Goten! Don't! It's not worth it!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Goten turned his head at the sound and stared right at Marron in the audience. His eyes moved over his family and friends in the stands and then moved to the group clustered round the screen in front of the waiting room's entrance.

"Goten?" Marron's voice called again. Goten sighed and allowed his hand to fall to his side, the blast fading. Uub sighed with relief, as did most of the people in the audience. Marron continued to hold her breath as she watched Goten.

Goten cursed himself. Uub continued to watch Goten, not daring to move. Goten looked up and stared directly at Uub before he fazed out of sight and the next thing Uub knew, he had been kicked head first into a wall and he was lying flat on his back on the green grass that surrounded the ring.

Goten stared at Uub and allowed his super saiyan form to slip away, regaining his normal black spiked hair. He then heard footsteps hurrying over to him and Goten looked up to see his father rushing over. Goten hesitated and then took off. He flew over the stands to disappear somewhere further off on the island.

Goku watched his son go and then rushed to Uub's side. Gohan hurried out as well to help where he could.

"Is he alright?" he called. Goku's face was set in stone as he stared at Uub.

"He's ok, he'll just need a senzu bean for those injuries." Goku replied. Uub pushed Goku back as he struggled to get into a sitting position.

"Don't bother, I'll heal myself." He told them and slowly his injuries closed and melted away.

"Guess that guy really does have a lot of issues to work out." Uub joked as he got up and stretched. Gohan stared at Uub; surprised at the boy's new healing abilities, while Goku looked in the direction Goten had gone.

"I guess he does…" he muttered.

Marron had long since left the stands and had run down to the waiting area for the fighters. She made her way straight to Zara and Trunks.

"Where is he? Have you talked to him?" she asked, worry over flowing in her voice. She hadn't seen Goten take off through her hurry to get to him.

"No, he's gone." Trunks answered.

"And we can't go find him since we're up next." Zara added. Marron bit her lip.

"I'll have to go then. I think I know where to find him." She said and then quickly ran out as fast as she could.

"Well that was an…interesting fight. Lets hope that the next one isn't quite as extreme. Can Trunks and Zara please come to the ring?" the announcer called from outside and the two had no choice but to comply.

Marron hurried to the spot where she thought Goten would be and found him straight away. He had gone to the far side of the small island to a spot that had been completely deserted. It was a small square that had once housed most of the stools but they had been taken down, as the owners had wanted to go watch the budokai. Now all that was there were only a stone bench and a fountain in the centre. Goten was sitting on the side of the fountain, watching the water.

"Thought I would find you here." Marron said nervously as she approached. Goten didn't even move.

"I kinda wanted to be alone."

Marron hesitated then took another step forward so that she was standing right behind him.

"You ok?" she asked. Goten was silent for a long moment before answering.

"I guess. It was just…supposed to be easy. I wouldn't give him a chance to power up and then knock him out or something but instead I…"

"…Got carried away? I noticed." Marron finished and sat beside him. Goten stared straight into her calm face and into her bright blue eyes.

"I could have killed him, Mar, but I didn't. Guess that's saying something. I just saw red and was dead set on making him pay but then I heard you yell and…I stopped."

"You stopped because of me? I think just about everyone was yelling at you, not just me." Marron said and Goten smiled slightly.

"Well you're all I heard. I just can't really explain it."

"Maybe not, but you still didn't kill an innocent man. Uub just did what anyone would have all those years ago. He got an offer from an incredible martial artist and took it. He would have been nuts not to take that offer."

Goten looked thoughtful at this.

"So…you're saying this is all dad's fault?" he asked. Marron shook her head lightly.

"Its no one's fault. Goku just doesn't understand I guess. Dad has told me about him and I can kind of see why he wouldn't. He didn't exactly have a family growing up so he doesn't really get why he can't just take off. You'll have to talk to him and work it out," she explained. Goten shifted his stare to his feet.

"I should, but not yet. I can't see him. I don't even know if I can go home right now. He'll be there and I guess I've been kind of a disappointment…" he told her and Marron watched him carefully.

"You are not a disappointment, Goten, and you'll have to see him eventually. But it is best to wait until you calm down. We don't want you seeing red again." Marron joked and made Goten smile.

"True, don't want to do that again any time soon."

The couple shared a smile for a moment, only enjoying each other's company until Marron stood up.

"So what do you say we go watch the tournament?" She asked.

"Nah, it's only Trunks and Zara fighting." Goten replied. Marron tilted her head to the side.

"What do you mean by that?"

"They are not even taking this seriously!" Vegeta yelled in exasperation. And he was right. For the past 20 minutes Zara and Trunks had simply been playing around, no doubt saving the real fight for the next match against Goku.

They were both floating high above the ring; Zara had Trunks in a tight hold with her legs wrapped firmly round him, trapping his arms. Trunks was in super saiyan mode and was struggling to get her off.

"Give it up Trunks, you can't break free." Zara teased. Trunks smirked and relaxed.

"Then maybe I should take it up a notch." He replied and then his aura burst outwards and his hair stood further on end. Zara struggled to keep her hold but his aura eventually won and she was thrown off. Trunks returned to level one and then chased after her falling form.

Zara managed to stop falling easily enough but she then had to quickly start evading Trunks's attacks. He threw punch after punch at her and she weaved through them, getting further away from Trunks the whole time until she was far enough away to fly off. Trunks started throwing blasts at her but Zara used her superior speed to dodge and then, when Trunks had fired enough, all of the blasts stopped moving and floated in the air.

Trunks looked confused until he realised it was Zara doing it and she used her mind to make them all chase him down to the ground. Trunks ended up flying backwards along the tiled surface of the ring with all the blasts colliding with the surface and exploding.

The final blast exploded just as Trunks floated over the edge. Zara appeared through the smoke from above with her fists laced together above her head. She swung them down and Trunks just managed to catch them in time and they both floated there struggling for ground until Zara kneed him in the chest. Trunks cried out in pain and Zara did the same move again and as Trunks's hold weakened she kicked him hard in the side. He was sent flying towards the left hand stands.

Trunks flared his aura out as much as possible and began to slow down but it wasn't enough. He felt his feet touch a bench in the stands just as he stopped.

"I do believe that was a ring out! Zara wins!" the announcer announced and both competitors retreated to the grass.

"Good match." Zara commented as Trunks walked over to her.

"Same back at you. You've gotten faster." Trunks replied.

"And you got stronger. Think you bruised a rib." Zara added, rubbing her side. Trunks laughed.

"After that? Guess you're not up for a rematch then." He joked. Zara laughed.

"Very funny." She said with a quick roll of the eyes.

"Thought so. So I'll see you in the GR when we get home. Have a big rematch."

"Hmm, me you and heavy gravity. It's a date." She said and then walked into the waiting area. Trunks froze.

"Think I have a better idea…" he muttered and followed her in just as the next match was about to get underway.

* * *

A/N: leaving it there. So what did you think? Probably should have had Uub put up more of a fight but he was against one of Goku's kids that wasn't under mind control. He didn't want to go overboard. After all, Goten was doing that enough for the both of them. 

Ok, so it shouldn't be too hard to work out where I'm going from here. Next chapter we have Goten avoiding Goku and the fights from Goku's first to his second. That'll be up next week so look out for it! Ja'ne!


	17. chapter 16: impact

Nothing special today folks, only a filler. Enjoy!

Reviews!

Son Oliver: well I'm sure Goku will be stuck thinking about all he has done now. Goten acting the way he did must be some kind of wake up call for Goku…

Rejhan: well you'll have a long wait I'm afraid…take that as you want. Could mean anything from until the end of this chapter or right near the end of the story. Glad you liked the fight though.

Trugeta: funny how only you and one other person seemed to mention that…  
we may have gone over it a million times but you're still right. Everyone should have been stronger etc, well it looks like they are now…which is odd considering that I was going to keep Goten as a strong ssj2…meh, Goten makes a good sub ssj3, its sticking.

Chico: you know I was feeling awful when I got your review and it really made me feel better (cure for the common cold: reviews!) thanks Chi, glad you liked & hopes you didn't get into too much trouble…

Super saiyan 4 Chichi: ah, you see you're touching on something there that everyone seems to have missed. Goten is still with girlfriend Paris/Valese. And yes, Goku can still go ssj4, (I just haven't called it that yet).

**Chapter 16: impact**.

The next couple of fights went by rather quickly. Goku played around with Bruno, allowing him to try and hit him before eventually kicking the wrestler out of the ring.

Gohan took care of the arachnid easily enough. The masked fighter had been completely stunned when Gohan turned out to be faster then he had ever dreamt of. The Arachnid had been trying to wear Gohan down by staying out of reach and using his supposedly superior speed to catch Gohan off guard but Gohan ended up fazing out of sight and elbowing his masked opponent in the face, knocking him out.

And finally Tara gave Haru a run for his money in the final match of the first rounds. Haru was convinced that he'd be able to persuade her to forfeit but when it came to their match she had simply apologised and then went about pummelling him, first hitting him across the face and chest and then tripping him and throwing him out of the ring.

In the end the second round match ups looked like this:

Vegeta Vs. Eisuke  
Pan Vs. Goten  
Zara Vs. Goku  
Gohan Vs. Tara

During the time it took for these final fights to be settled, Trunks and Goku had been unable to have the conversations they desired to have. Goten still hadn't shown up and Trunks had been unable to escape from the group.

Vegeta's fight was up next and once again everyone was trying to work out if Vegeta would set a new record for the shortest match time or not.

Vegeta watched Eisuke carefully. The boy was extremely nervous about being up against such a great warrior. His master Tien had told Daisuke and himself all about the z gang and now the poor kid was terrified. But he wasn't going to give up.

Vegeta still stood there calmly and Eisuke finally decided to try his luck.

The kid charged at Vegeta and leapt into the air. He then stuck his foot out in a jump kick and hit Vegeta hard across the jaw. The kid then returned to the ground where he continued his attack with a round of punches to the gut followed by a Dodon-pa and then more punches and kicks.

The whole time Vegeta stood perfectly still in a meditative like state. His arms were crossed firmly across his chest and his head was down with his eyes closed. He hardly felt the blows that Eisuke was delivering and the announcer was over exaggerating.

"Wow! Vegeta is completely unable to block those attacks! This is incredible! Eisuke is really dishing out all the stops!" the announcer yelled to the audience, believing everything he said. Of course it were all untrue…

Vegeta opened his eyes and peered down at Eisuke as if he were an insect. Then, as Eisuke continued his flurry of attacks, Vegeta raised his hand and backhanded Eisuke out of the ring in a movement too fast to track. The audience was left completely stunned.

"Well…at least he didn't hit the kid out straight away…" Gohan said whilst a sweat drop rolled down the back of his head. The others simply nodded as they watched Vegeta walk back into the waiting area.

"Could have been shorter…"Zara agreed and then noticed that Trunks was no longer behind her. She turned round and then spotted him over by the door signalling her over.

"I'll be right back…" she muttered to Gohan and Goku and then hurried to her friend. Gohan watched her go.

"Wonder what they're up to…" Gohan muttered and then turned to Goku who was still looking out at the ring.

"You ok dad?" he asked. Goku looked back at his eldest son and grinned.

"I'm fine, son, really. Just want to know where Goten got to…"he told him. Gohan looked back into the ring and sighed.

"He just needed to cool off. Think someone went to get him." Gohan said quietly. Goku nodded.

"I know. I just want to check up on him. First he takes off and then Uub goes to avoid another confrontation like that one…I just don't get what's going on around here." Goku said and frowned lightly at the ground. Gohan glanced at his father then sighed.

"You'll get your chance to talk to him, don't worry. He has to show up soon anyway…"

"Well if he doesn't want to miss his match he does." Bra's voice met their ears. She was still leaning over the top of the screen watching her best friend in the ring. She may have lost but she was still allowed in the waiting area.

Goku nodded at Gohan and Bra.

"Yea, he does…" he said and regained his normal grin.

Zara wondered out into the courtyard to see Trunks waiting for her.

"It was getting a little crowded in there." He told her when she got close enough. Zara nodded and smiled at him.

"Yea it was. And awkward to boot." She said and stared curiously at him.

"So have you worked out what you wanted to say yet?" she asked. Trunks scratched his head nervously.

"What do you mean?" he asked just as nervously. Zara smirked.

"Well…" she began and leant forward, "I'm psychic. That and you've been trying to get me out here all day. You have something on your mind, Briefs." She straightened up again.

Trunks went slightly red and opened his mouth to say something but before anything could leave his mouth, footsteps greeted their ears. They both looked round to see Goten running towards them with Marron not too far behind. They came to a halt in front of them.

"Have I been called yet?" Goten asked between breaths. He had flown top speed across the island with Marron when he realised what time it was and had only just landed.

"Not that long ago. You still have time." Zara told him. Goten nodded and started towards the building.

"Hey 'Ten, Your dad's in there and he wants to talk to you." Trunks quickly called after him. Goten stopped and then glanced over his shoulder at his friends.

"Well he has a long wait." He told them and then jumped clear over the building and into the arena beyond. His friends watched him and after a quick glance, ran to get good spots in the waiting area.

Goten landed and quickly ran into the ring, calling out an apology for being so late as he did so.

"Its ok kid, just try not to go nuts in this fight like you did in the last one." The announcer called back, slightly exasperated. These guys were nuts…

Goten looked over at a frowning Pan and a classic Son grin flashed over his face.

"I'll see what I can do." He joked. The announcer didn't find it all that funny and simply signalled the start of the match.

Goten stuck to his defensive stance as he watched his niece. Pan stayed perfectly still with her arms crossed over her chest and her face pulled into a frown. She didn't make a single move to start the fight. Soon Goten got impatient of waiting for his niece.

"Come on squirt. Are we just going to stand around here all day or what? I have to get into the next round and this isn't helping." Goten called to her. Pan still didn't make a move.

"Why did you do that to Uub? You could have killed him." She finally spoke. Goten was caught off guard by this. He frowned at his niece.

"Does it matter?" he asked and Pan glared at him.

"Yea it matters. You made him leave. You made it seem like he's not welcome when he is." She shot at him.

"What do you mean he's welcome? He isn't. I say good riddance." Goten shot back stubbornly. Pan growled.

"You can be a complete jerk sometimes, you know? This is so 'Goten'. You completely burry stuff and don't tell anyone something's wrong and when it finally comes to the time to confront it, you explode and handle it really badly. I bet you won't even talk to grandpa Goku."

Goten frowned at Pan as she finished.

"You don't know anything, Pan. Just shut up and lets get this over with." Goten said, straining to keep his voice calm. Pan shook her head angrily.

"So you refuse to talk, huh? I thought so. We might as well just handle this your way, right? By beating the problem into a bloody pulp." She shot back and finally got into her stance. Goten growled and lunged.

"Shut it!"

He threw his fist at her and Pan was forced to duck with only a nanosecond to spare. Pan then rolled aside as Goten followed through with an axe kick and fired a blast at her. Pan flew high into the air before the blast impacted the tiles and Goten chased after her.

Goten quickly caught up to her and began to attack, throwing a blur of attacks at her as fast as he could leaving barely enough time for Pan to block. She did her best to fend off the attacks but Goten managed to get a few lucky shots in, catching her hard on the jaw and then moving onto her gut.

Goten floated backwards and smirked at his niece and she looked back at him, wiping some blood away from her mouth. She continued to watch him, entering a stare down.

_I have to finish this fast,_ She decided and then burst into her super saiyan transformation. Her teal eyes set firmly on her uncle and Goten started to transform as well.

Pan didn't give him enough time. He barely even had enough time to think about defending himself before Pan dived in with her fist forward. She punched him hard across the jaw and then swung her left fist up to hit his face up. She followed through with several kicks to his side and then quickly charged a weak kamehameha and fired it into his chest, sending him flying backwards. She finally appeared above him and slammed him hard into the tiled ring where he bounced and struggled to get up. Goten had only just managed to get onto all fours when Pan appeared beside him and kicked him hard into the air. She executed a perfect final spin kick when he was high enough, that sent him flying into the wall outside the ring. Goten had lost.

"Wow! I have no idea what exactly happened there, ladies and gentlemen, but Pan sure didn't waste anytime! She didn't even give Goten a chance there! What an incredible match!" the announcer yelled as Goten pulled himself out of the indent in the wall. He growled to himself and then looked up to see Pan floating in front of him, powering down from super saiyan.

"So how does it feel? That's pretty much what you were planning on doing to Uub right? Not give him a chance?" she asked, still frowning. Goten averted his gaze to stare at the waiting area's screen instead.

"Yea." He mumbled and Pan smirked.

"Well that's how you do it properly. Well if you don't want to torture the guy at least." Pan started frowning again.

"Look, if you want to fight grandpa next then do it at home. We don't want you going out of control around so many people again." Pan added and then sunk to the ground. Goten was still staring at the screen as a small group of people came out. Goku was amongst them.

Goku looked straight at his son and Goten stared back before taking off. Goku started to go after him.

"Goten! Wait!" he yelled but felt something rest on his shoulder. Gohan had put his hand on there.

"Wait dad, I don't think he's ready yet." He said softly and Goku lowered his head and began to head back to the waiting area.

"Guess you're right…"

Zara, Marron and Trunks stared off in the direction Goten had gone in. Trunks sighed.

"Something tells me that he isn't going to stay on the island this time." He said. Zara looked up at him.

"Your not thinking about following, are you?" she asked and Trunks shook his head.

"Nah, think its best we leave him alone. He'll come back when he's ready." He replied. Marron sighed.

"He better. I don't like the thought of him being alone right now." She said. Zara smiled at her.

"Hey, Goten just has a lot of stuff to think through. He won't do any thing stupid…er." She assured. The other two nodded and from the ring the announcer called the next competitors.

"Its time to get the next match underway! Goku is up against Zara! Can they please get to the ring?"

Zara smirked as Goku walked over to them with Gohan at his side.

"That's us, you ready?" Goku announced, son grin in place as he awaited his next challenge. Zara nodded and then looked to the others.

"Go on, we'll be cheering for you guys!" Trunks said.

"Yea but I'll have to from the stands. I'm not exactly allowed back here." Marron explained and then quickly left. Zara and Goku thanked the others and then quickly went into the ring, leaving Trunks and Gohan behind to watch.

Zara and Goku now stood at opposite sides of the ring. Zara stood with her right side facing Goku with a serious look on her face as she watched him. Goku wore his special smile that he only wore when entering a good fight. He was the first to sink into a stance.

"Good luck!" he called and Zara smirked as she lowered into an offensive stance.

"Same back at you, you're going to need it to keep up." She called back. Goku's smile widened as he adjusted his stance and inched closer.

The whole arena was silent as they waited. A cloud floated lazily across the sun, casting a shadow for a time and then it passed.

"And begin!"

Immediately the two fighters lunged forward to start their attack. Goku started with a right hook but Zara swerved out the way and came up with one of her own that was pushed aside by Goku. Goku came back with a second punch but he was too late as Zara had already swung her left leg round to catch him on the side. Goku winced and was left with an upper cut that pushed him up but he recovered with enough time to kick Zara before she continued her combo.

Zara was sent backwards where she began to back flip across the ring and finally jump high into the air just before she made it off the ring. Goku watched her and then took to the air as well, meeting her head on. Zara had thrown her fist forward to meet him but Goku caught it and shoved his own up to meet her gut. She managed to catch it just in time and they were then stuck trying to free their fist from the other.

Goku then felt like he had been punched in the face as an invisible force hit him – no doubt Zara's telekinetic ability –and was forced to let go. She then flew forward to hit him hard simultaneously in the gut and chest and then execute a spin kick. Goku was hit by all three and was sent further back, where he recovered.

"You're holding back!" Zara yelled at him. Goku smiled and nodded.

"So are you." he called back and Zara smiled.

"True. How about we get serious?" she called and then phased out of sight. Goku smirked and did the same.

To the audience what happened next seemed like a succession of flashing running through the air every few seconds accompanied by the occasional glimpse of the two warriors being hit or entering another stalemate. But to the trained eye it looked like things were heating up.

Zara threw a punch at Goku but he phased out of sight and appeared behind her where he threw an attack of his own but Zara also disappeared. She appeared a good distance away from him on his right, preparing a blasting her out stretched palm. She fired but Goku deflected it whilst he charged forward. He feinted a punch but ended up kicking Zara hard in the jaw. She was sent backwards by the hit but disappeared before Goku could continue his attack. He looked round just in time to be on the receiving end of an elbow drop to the face. Zara twisted off of it and then executed a spin kick that sent Goku flying but he disappeared before she could continue.

Goku appeared above her with his fists laced together as he swung them down towards her head but she raised her hands to block. He continued to press down on them and Zara struggled to keep them above her head. She struggled and then somehow managed to quickly grab his wrists before he could hit her and she ended up pulling him in to head butt him in the face. She flipped him over her head from there and Goku grinned when he stopped himself from falling.

"Wow, you've really come along way since the last time I saw you fight." He commented. Zara smiled back.

"Yea, I may not be as good as you yet, Goku, but I'm getting there." She replied and then returned to her stance.

"Yea, I guess sparring with Vegeta helps. So how about we continue?" he asked. Zara nodded.

"Right, give me everything you've got."

"Ok, as you wish." Goku smirked and then vanished.

Zara looked surprised for a moment and then quickly scanned the arena for movement and ki signature. A small glimmer appeared in the corner of her eye and she quickly turned in time to block Goku's headshot. Goku pressed down and Zara growled under the strain and her red, inferno of an aura quickly came to life and pushed Goku back. The slippery saiyan smirked and then within a blink of an eye he was a super saiyan.

"Was hoping to save super but oh well." Goku admitted and then disappeared. Zara disappeared as well and they both met higher above the ring.

Zara aimed kick after kick at Goku and he managed to dodge before aiming a punch to her chest but she leapfrogged over him and kicked him hard in the back. Goku then translocated behind her and aimed another punch that she only just managed to push a side before being met with his knee in her gut. He pushed her off of it and then hit her hard on the back and sent her plummeting down. Zara managed to stop herself easily enough but when she looked up, Goku was charging up his signature move and it was too late to do anything about it.

"…HA!" he yelled as he fired the blast and Zara was forced to cross her arms in front of her and take it. The blast pushed her further down when it hit and Zara was only just able to stop herself from going further down before it dissipated. The next thing she knew, Goku was on her and had double fisted her the rest of the way down, onto the edge of the ring. She bounced off of it and hit her head hard on the edge when she landed on the green grass.

Goku let out a long breath when he saw her land and powered down. He landed on the ring and smiled down at her.

"You ok?" he asked. Zara winced as she felt the back of her head.

"Yea, nothing some aspirin won't fix. Good match Goku." She replied and winced as her hand felt a sore spot.

"Zara!" another voice called out and the two warriors looked up to see Trunks and Gohan making their way towards them, Trunks was running, Gohan was walking briskly.

Trunks knelt down next to Zara and inspected her head.

"Ouch, you ok?" he asked and Zara laughed.

"Oh yea, I'm fine, it's just a headache. It doesn't look that bad back there, does it?" she asked. Trunks helped her up as he inspected it some more.

"Just a scratch and its already closing up." He informed and Zara nodded. Goku scratched his head and flashed them all a Son grin.

"Didn't think I hit you that hard." He said. Zara grinned at him.

"Neither did I. It's ok Goku, really. Lets just get back inside. The next match is going to start soon." She told him and the group made their way back inside, discussing that last match and momentarily forgetting about all the problems they had at that moment.

* * *

**A/N**: leaving it there. Hope you enjoyed it but it was just a filler. All the next few chapters are going to be are the final matches and then I'm starting super 17. That should be fun, ja'ne! 


	18. chapter 17: the finals

Sorry for not updating last weekend! Stupid brother decided to hog the computer and play the Sims 2. That's what I get for sleeping in late…

So that's either an extra long chapter or two depending on how much I can write today.

But some good news is that starting from Wednesday I'm off for a fortnight. No school for two whole weeks! So as long as my bro isn't hogging the PC then I should be able to update more often for a while. Super 17 won't be too far off!

Reviews:

Son Oliver: I must be doing something right if you want an update that bad (sweat drop) Goten may have let Pan win on some level because part of him wants to just get away and be alone. On the other hand he wanted to prove his worth to Goku and Pan kinda messed it up. And as for Pan, a good part of Chichi is in her. The part we all _love_ so when she gets mad she gets like Chichi. She's not always like that…unless I accidentally continue to write her like that (another sweat drop).

DBGT Goku: well I dunno about having it before s17. You'll have to see what I do. But I wouldn't say that we could blame Goku for the first 7 years since he was dead and didn't know Goten even existed (so much for watching his family…) Goku has probably made those years up after the ten years he was home. Goten might still be mad about it though I guess.

Rejhan: glad you liked! Shame about the kid's luck really. Guess that's what you get for winning :p

Chico (aka meee!): lol, well you maybe rambling but you are right…regular 17 was better. You maybe right about Trunks as well, who knows, maybe that's why Zara agreed to stop reading his mind in GND :p

Trugeta: glad you liked it! Goten definitely has a lot to think about as well as Goku. Thought I'd surprise everyone by having Pan win. That and I didn't get to have chibi Pan win in GND so she wins now.

Thanks to Super saiyan four Chichi & YanaLi as well. Glad you liked it.

**Chapter 17: the finals**

The gang were all surrounding the screen as they waited for the next match to be called up. They were all discussing the last match.

"That really was a good match though." Gohan was saying.

"Yea! And I thought Trunks was going to explode just from watching it!" Pan added from her perch on top of the screen. Bra ribbed her with a warning look as she watched her brother turn several shades of red.

"That's an over exaggeration…" Trunks managed to say and Pan shock her head.

"No it wasn't. At that part where grandpa fired the kamehameha wave, Trunks nearly ran out side. Don't think I've ever seen a guy watch a fight that closely before." She said as she remembered it. Bra ribbed her again. Pan really wasn't getting it.

Zara looked up at Trunks who was standing on her right, firmly next to her.

"You were worried about me, huh?" she asked innocently and Trunks stammered.

"Well I…"

Zara smiled and pecked him on the cheek.

"Sweet, even if it was Goku I was up against and I have been up against worse." She said and then added "no offence Goku" to the warrior in question who waved it off.

"None taken, there are people a lot more brutal then me out there." Goku pointed out just as the announcer announced the next fight. It was Gohan verses Tara and the last match of this round.

Gohan and Tara both left the area for what promised to be a very short match. And it was. Tara had attacked first, deciding to go with the opposite tactic to the one the Arachnid had used. She attacked Gohan head on, hoping to drive him back. But to her it was like hitting a steel wall and she nearly fractured her hand just by hitting him. She gasped as the pain shot up her arm and then looked up just in time to see Gohan 'gently' tap her on the side of the head. This sent the poor girl flying straight into the wall outside of the ring after bouncing hard against the ground. She ended up getting stuck halfway up the tall wall.

The crowd was left completely stunned as Gohan waved and walked calmly back to his friends and family.

"Um, can somebody please get a med team out here for Tara? And they better bring a ladder…" the announcer stammered. A few moments later and Tara had been safely carried away and the announcer announced the match ups for the next round. They were:

Vegeta V.S Pan  
Goku V.S Gohan

Vegeta pushed himself away from the wall when he heard the announcer and made his way to the rest of the group. He had been waiting in the back of the small room for his first 'real' match and now he was ready.

He stopped by the others and looked round the whole group before finally focusing on Pan.

"Come on brat, let's get this over with. I have an appointment with a clown after this." The prince said and then continued out of the waiting area. Pan smirked.

"Great! This match should be good!" She announced and swung her legs round the screen to jump down.

"Be careful Pan. You know Vegeta…" Gohan started but Pan waved it off.

"I know, and I will. Wish me luck!" she called and dropped down and disappeared from view. A few moments later and she was standing in the ring in a serious stance.

"Why do I get the feeling she won't listen to me?" Gohan asked out loud as he watched. The others all laughed and turned to watch the match.

Pan watched Vegeta carefully and Vegeta smirked down at Pan. The announcer looked between them almost nervously and then announced the start of the match.

"And begin!"

Pan was the first to move. She kicked of the ground and flew straight at Vegeta. Once there she swung her fist round to have him lean backwards and dodge. Pan growled and then feinted a left jab and then attacked with a right kick instead but Vegeta dodged the right attack. Pan continued her assault with a second kick followed by a multitude of punches and a sweeping kick but Vegeta ducked and dodged the punches and jumped over the kick and then spun round to kick Pan hard in the jaw. Pan was sent flying backward but she managed to flare out an aura and stop just in time to have Vegeta punch her again in the face. Pan growled and swung her own fist round but Vegeta grabbed it and pulled her into his knee. Pan cried out in pain and then her now golden aura flicked to life, elevating her hair into golden spikes.

Pan then pulled out of Vegeta's grasp and aimed a round house that Vegeta grabbed and tried his best to hold off. He grunted and then he burst into super saiyan mode and threw Pan off. Pan bounced across the floor before flipping onto her feet and blurring out of sight. Vegeta frowned at the spot she had been in and moved his elbow back at lightening speed, rushing into Pan's upheld palm as she attempted to block. Pan gritted her teeth as she held the blow back and then rolled off of it to hit Vegeta in the side with an unexpected spin kick. Vegeta grunted and then swung back with a kick of his own but Pan flew over it and dived down with her foot out stretch, aiming to drop kick Vegeta in the face. Vegeta phased out of sight and Pan landed gingerly on the ground.

The girl quickly looked round the ring for a sign of the saiyan prince and then dived to the side as he appeared behind her, aiming an upper cut to the back of her head.

Pan rolled round on the floor and shot a blast at Vegeta who deflected it upwards before disappearing. Pan growled and then disappeared as well.

The audience looked round the entire ring to try and find even a glimmer of them until the announcer noticed that the Z fighters were all looking up. The announcer looked up as well and he could just make out to figures high in the clouds moving at an unnatural speed.

"Ladies and gentlemen! They are flying high above us! Look up!" he cried into his mic and everyone followed the instruction.

Pan cried a long battle cry as she continued her onslaught with a blur of punches that Vegeta was finding hard to keep dodging. He frowned in annoyance and then suddenly high kicked Pan to send her flying away. Vegeta followed her and caught up, keeping directly above her. He quickly twisted round and jabbed his elbow into her gut, sending her down. Pan cried out and then disappeared from view.

But Vegeta could still sense her and he followed her as she flew round and came up at him from the side. Pan's face met Vegeta's round house kick before she could even lash out with an attack. Pan was left falling backwards again and Vegeta simply watched as she dropped. Pan picked up speed and eventually impacted with the ring, leaving a huge impact crater in her wake.

The announcer nearly fell backwards in the shock of having a girl nearly fall on him. He quickly recovered though and inched slowly towards the hole.

"Err…Pan?" he asked cautiously as he approached. Inch by inch he crept closer until he was finally beside the crater. He then gulped to himself and peered inside.

Pan lay in a heap in the centre and as the announcer leant further forward, her eyes shot open. A mere second later and she had shot full speed out of the hole, leaving the poor announcer to topple backwards.

"I'm getting too old for this…"

Pan came to an abrupt halt in front of the saiyan prince and glared. Vegeta smirked at her.

"You should have just stayed down." He commented. Pan's glare then changed to a smirk.

"I thought this would be more entertaining." She replied. Vegeta's smirk widened.

"We'll see."

Vegeta shot forward in a motion to fast for Pan to track and hit her hard with a jab to the gut. Pan groaned as she doubled over and then Vegeta kneed her in the same spot and then smacked her back down. Pan did her best to put a halt to her decent but Vegeta followed her and kicked her hard in the back, sending her down faster. Pan gasped as she saw the ground starting to come at her faster and she quickly pulled her hands to her side.

"Kamehameha!" she yelled and fired the blue blast at the ground. The force of the blast sent her back upwards and she eventually let go of the blast and twisted round to meet Vegeta. She aimed a punch at his chest but he caught it and squeezed her fist hard. Pan gasped at the pain and tried to pull away but she couldn't break out of Vegeta's grasp. She tried with all her strength and then came down on Vegeta's fist in a bite attack. Vegeta grunted and let go and Pan smirked at her little victory.

It didn't last long for Vegeta came down on her hard with a blow to the head, chest and then a kick to her side. He then lifted his hands at his sides and quickly brought them together in front of him and fired a large blast at Pan. It hit and she was left to fall hard into another impact crater.

The announcer rushed over to the side of the crater and inspected Pan.

"She's out cold!" he yelled after a quick inspection and then turned to look up at a descending Vegeta.

"Vegeta is the winner!"

On the sidelines, the others all stared in shock as they hadn't expected an ending quite like that but that was Vegeta for you…

Gohan ran out to the ring as fast as he could to check the damage Vegeta had done to his daughter. Pan was ok, just unconscious but Gohan asked his dad to go and retrieve some senzus just in case.

"Alright Gohan. It'll only take a minute." Goku replied and placed his index and middle fingers onto his forehead.

"You better get extra Kakarot. When we fight I want us both at our best." Vegeta quickly interrupted. Goku looked over at the prince who was standing with his back to Goku.

"Sure thing Vegeta." Goku replied with his battle smile in place. A moment later and he was gone. Gohan frowned up at Vegeta.

"Hey! Don't you think you're underestimating me just a little there?" he asked. Vegeta turned round to give Gohan a hard stare before answering.

"No." and then Vegeta walked calmly back to the waiting area. Gohan growled as he watched Vegeta go. Then the demi scooped up his daughter and followed the prince.

A few moments later and Goku had come back with a bag of senzu beans. He handed gave one each to Pan and Vegeta and as soon as everyone was back to normal the father and son duo walked out to the ring whilst the rest of the gang crowded round the screen, including Vegeta.

"So do you really think that Gohan has improved as much as he says he has?" Zara asked. Trunks shrugged.

"Who knows? None of us have even sensed him, and you barely even sleep at night." He replied.

"Yea but I train pretty hard at night. I could have missed him." She pointed out and the others decided to just watch the match.

Goku and Gohan stood firmly at opposite ends of the ring, getting in some last minute warm up stretches. Goku was the first to finish.

"You ready?" he asked his son cheerfully, almost as if they were about to have a more relaxing game of chess.

Gohan grinned back and moved into a stance.

"You mean ready to prove that I have been training hard? Yep!" Gohan replied. Goku grinned and matched the stance perfectly.

"Well it's your move." He replied. Gohan nodded, smirking, and then disappeared.

Goku smiled as well. He took Gohan seriously and believed his son when he said he had trained. But the start of this match was all about testing and little pot shots. He would soon be able to tell how good his son had gotten.

Gohan appeared on Goku's right, flying towards him. Goku jumped and turned just in time to try and kick his son but Gohan dodged and punched Goku's exposed gut. Goku doubled over and then swung a fist round to hit Gohan round the side of the head. Gohan was sent backwards but he flipped round and used the floor to repel himself back towards his dad. Gohan feinted a kick and punched Goku across the jaw but Goku's smile widened before he sent back a couple of blows of his own. Gohan dodged and sent another punch Goku's way but it hit Goku's fist. Gohan growled and threw another but this time Goku ducked under it and came up with an upper cut that hit Gohan's jaw before Goku continued by spinning round and elbowing his son in the gut and then bringing the back of his fist up to smack into Gohan's face before finally finishing the combo off with a spin kick.

Gohan was sent flying to the side this time but the demi quickly powered up and then took to the air, Goku close behind. Goku shot a blast up at his son but Gohan disappeared, reappearing further down then his father. Gohan then fired a blast of his own at his father but Goku dodged and sped down to meet his son head on. Gohan dodged his father's first blow and then threw a punch of his own that Goku caught. Gohan then threw another punch and Goku caught that as well. Gohan struggled to pull away but Goku had a tight hold on him. Gohan continued to struggle and then smirked.

"Guess its time to get serious!" he announced and then did something none of the Z fighters were expecting.

Gohan concentrated and after a long moment of yelling, a golden envelope engulfed him that was streaked by the occasional ki-bolts. Gohan's hair shot up in golden blade like spikes and then the demi super saiyan two pulled his arms easily out of Goku's grasp and smacked Goku into the ring, making a perfectly round crater.

The whole gang stood in bewilderment as they stared up at Gohan.

"I thought he couldn't do that anymore!" Trunks exclaimed as he stared bug-eyed at Gohan.

"Guess that's what he meant by training!" Zara replied, hiding the shock a little better then her friend. Pan and Bra both looked at the other two in confusion.

"What are you talking about? Gohan is a saiyan. There's no reason why he can't go super, is there?" Bra asked. Trunks and Zara shared a glance.

"Well you see back when Buu was bad Gohan met this old kai that said he could increase Gohan's strength." Zara started.

"The thing is that Gohan couldn't go super anymore after doing it. He kept trying but whenever he tried he didn't transform. He looked completely normal so he was just using his new mystic form." Trunks finished. Pan and Bra exchanged a glance.

"Well then what's that?" Pan asked and the others all shrugged.

Goku took to the air again and he flew up to be level with his son. He grinned at his son's super saiyan two form.

"Hey, didn't think I'd be seeing this again!" he exclaimed and Gohan grinned at him.

"Neither did I but I finally figured it out not too long ago. Well last year actually. Its regular old super saiyan two! But I haven't worked out how to combine it with mystic yet though. Have a theory but no way to try it out. But I do know its possible." Gohan explained. Goku nodded and surveyed his son properly.

"Well we're going to have to try it out when you figure it out. But until then we're in the middle of a match." Goku pointed out. Gohan grinned and nodded and allowed his father to transform to the same level and then the fight resumed.

Goku and Gohan charged at each other and met in a flurry of punches. They both hit each other simultaneously on the cheek and then separated just to go back together and continue. Goku threw a punch that Gohan dodged and returned but Goku caught it and pulled his son forward so that Goku's fist impaled Gohan's gut. Gohan then whipped his head up to catch Goku hard on the jaw. Goku quickly recovered and punched his son across the face. It spun Gohan round and Gohan ended up performing a powerful spin kick that hit Goku in the chest. Goku was sent backwards but he quickly recovered and pulled his hands to his side.

"Ka…Me…" he began. Gohan smirked and quickly matched Goku's stance.

"Ka…Me…" Gohan chanted.

"…Ha…Me…" they both said together, an energy ball forming in their cupped palms.

"…Ha!" they both yelled together and fired their blasts at the same exact moment. The two beams of energy collided together in a huge clash of power, struggling to push the other back. Neither could gain any ground as the two saiyans continued to pour energy into the blasts.

Gohan flared his aura out and increased his super saiyan power to the max. He hadn't worked out how to become a level three yet so he usually relied on his mystic form for that as it was just as strong (well after his training it was) but in order to increase his power by going mystic, he would have to power down first. He was just going to have to pray that his father wouldn't transform to the next stage and that he would get lucky…

Goku grunted as he watched the two beams creep closer towards him. But he knew that Gohan was using up all of his reserves for that form. He just wasn't sure if Gohan could go to the next super saiyan level or not.

_Should go to the next level, Gohan's kamehameha is getting too close._ Goku decided and then, with an animalistic scream, he burst into level three, his hair staying spiky as it grew down to his knees.

Immediately Goku's wave shot forward and pushed Gohan's back until it collided with the demi-saiyan and exploded. The blast sent the man plummeting towards the ground and Gohan landed just outside of the ring.

Goku watched his son intently, determining the damage from the air before allowing his form to regress back to normal saiyan mode. Goku then floated back down to the ground as Pan hurried out with the bag of senzu beans waving in her outstretched hand. She quickly fed her father a bean and then handed the bag to Goku who ate one himself.

Gohan sat groggily up and then noticed he was sitting on grass. He sighed and then grinned up at his dad.

"Looks like you won. Good match dad." Gohan said and then stood up with a little help from Pan. Goku flashed Gohan a son grin.

"Yea, well you did really well. I'm impressed and proud of you, son. That was quite a show." Goku commented. Gohan's grin grew wider and they all retreated to the waiting area, leaving the announcer to try and work out what had just happened.

The audience had figured it out a lot sooner and had started cheering after the 'greatest light show' they had ever seen had finished. The announcer soon recovered and had gone about the normal commentary and by the time he was done, Vegeta was especially irritated. It was taking too long for his taste…

But whilst the announcer was rambling, Trunks had decided to try one last time. He pulled Zara out to the courtyard and sat with her on a bench that was tucked away in the corner.

"I don't think the announcer can keep rambling forever so can this be quick?" Zara asked. Trunks nodded.

"Kinda the idea." He agreed, planning on keeping it quick to avoid another interruption. Zara looked away from the waiting area entrance and at Trunks.

"So how many times have we been here today? It seems that whenever we get here, someone always comes to interrupt." She pointed out. Trunks smiled and nodded.

"Good point. Must not be the best spot on the island." Trunks agreed. Zara smiled.

"Yea, but then again, if it were the best spot then everyone would be going there." She pointed out and scooted a little closer to Trunks. Trunks smiled and nodded.

"That's a good point." He agreed and stared into her eyes. Zara smiled and stared back into his.

"So…the last time we were here we agreed that I was psychic and you have something stuck in that head of yours. What is it?" Zara asked innocently. Trunks swallowed hard and decided to say the next words carefully.

"Well, we've been friends for a very long time…" he started. Zara scooted a little closer.

"Yes."

"…And we know each other so incredibly well that there is barely anything we don't know…" he continued and Zara leant closer.

"Yes…"

"So I was thinking…" he continued and then noticed Marron come into the little area. Trunks watched her, hoping that she wouldn't see them but it was too late. She saw them and hurried over.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" she asked, slightly confused as she got over. Zara scooted away from Trunks who felt like whacking his head repeatedly against a wall.

"Oh nothing, not trying to have a private conversation or anything. So please, keep interrupting! What do I care?" he asked sarcastically and then slouched down in the bench in a pouty position.

Marron stared blankly at him and then turned to Zara.

"Um…ok. I just wanted to know if Goten has gotten back yet? If you've sensed him at all…?" she asked. Zara sighed and then shook her head.

"Not a peep. Really don't think that he's done being alone yet." She informed. Marron sighed.

"I know…its just he has been gone for a while. I want to check on him…" she said and then stared at Zara in a questioning look. Zara raised her brow and then changed her expression to a cold one when she caught on.

"No. I am not teleporting you to him. I don't even know where he is. And at the risk of sounding selfish, Goku versus Vegeta is next. That is Goku against Vegeta. I can't." she explained and then folded her arms stubbornly. Marron stared at Zara and then sighed.

"Well it was just an idea." The blonde girl muttered just as huge cheers reached their ears. The next match had just been announced. Zara looked over at Marron.

"Tell you what, I'll take you wherever after the match. Just wait until then, ok?" Zara told the blonde and then dragged a startled Trunks into the waiting room.

Goku and Vegeta had already left for the ring when they got there and now all of the gang were anxiously hovering around the screen. The two teenagers seemed to be arguing about something.

"Look, dad'll definitely win, ok? He can't lose!" Bra was saying. Pan snorted.

"Since when? In a your weird little dream world? My grandpa is the greatest fighter in the universe! Plus he has his new transformation! He's way stronger then Vegeta!" Pan argued. Bra shook her head.

"Maybe he does, but that'll be cheating. My dad is the master tactician and we all know that fighting isn't just about brawn. Brain is just as big a part of it and we both know that dad has got Goku beat there." Bra shot back calmly.

"Then why does he always lose?" Pan asked harshly.

"Why did you lose?" Bra asked. Pan growled.

"Dad!" she called.

"Trunks! Tell her!" Bra called as well and both girls looked at the guys in question who squirmed under the girls gaze.

"Erm…they are both incredible warriors so it's really hard to call. How about we just watch the match and see who wins that way?" Gohan suggested and both girls calmed down.

"Fine." They sighed and both turned round on their seats on the screen to stare out at the ring. The guys sighed with relief and Gohan smiled out at his father.

_At least they stopped. But Pan is right. Dad should win._ Gohan thought.

"Heard that Gohan." Zara laughed as she heard him. Gohan frowned at her.

"Hey! I thought you stopped doing that." Gohan pouted. Zara laughed again.

"I like knowing what you really think. But personally I would go for Vegeta. I just don't want to lose my money," she admitted and Trunks sweat dropped.

"Lets just cheer dad on and lay off the betting." He whispered to her and Zara agreed.

Up in the stands something similar was happening. Krillen looked round at that gang and casually put the topic forward.

"So who do you guys think will win?" he asked.

"Well Goku obviously." Yamcha instantly said. Chichi agreed, as did Paur.

"Thought so…" Krillen said and smiled to himself. But Master Roshi had other ideas.

"Now hold on you guys. Goku maybe the strongest, no competition, but Vegeta is a very tough competitor. He has his big bang attack and the final flash as well as many other moves of his own. And he is a tactician that can occasionally be better then Goku. They each have their strengths and weaknesses and we all know this. But Vegeta stands just as much a chance as Goku. Pan has demonstrated today that it's not always the strongest that wins." He stated calmly. The group all stared at the old man.

"So…you're saying that Vegeta will win?" Oolong asked.

"Of course he will. My Vegeta has been training hard for the past ten years. Who cares about Goku's new transformation, Vegeta is still better." Bulma said stubbornly. Roshi nearly face vaulted.

"No! It could go either way!" the master cried. But his cry landed on deaf ears.

Chichi glared daggers at Bulma.

"What do you mean Vegeta is better? Goku is clearly better!" she yelled at the elder woman. Bulma laughed.

"Oh please, you even admitted it once. Vegeta is better." Bulma pressed. Chichi jumped to her feet.

"I was talking about reliability! And that was when I was mad 20 years ago! In the ring Goku is king and he'll wipe the floor with Vegeta!" Chichi announced. Bulma jumped to her feet as well.

"You want a bet?" Bulma cried.

"Maybe I do!" Chichi cried back.

"Fine! The wife of the loser has to pay for the after meal!" Bulma yelled.

"Fine, I'm going to let my boys lose on the buffet table so your capsule corp. riches will come in handy!" Chichi shot right back at Bulma, who let out a stressed growl and then turned to the ring.

"Rip him apart Vegeta!" Bulma yelled.

"Bring home the gold Goku!" Chichi yelled to her husband.

In the ring the two warriors couldn't help but smile.

"It appears that our spouses are just as much rivals as we are." Vegeta pointed out. Goku laughed.

"Looks that way." Goku replied along with a classic son grin. Vegeta smirked at his opponent and turn to face Goku properly, sinking into a stance.

"Then we better not keep them waiting. And lets skip the warm up." Vegeta said, adding the last part as an after thought. Goku smiled and nodded as he watched Vegeta effortlessly transform into a super saiyan. A moment later and Goku had done the same.

"Good idea, this will probably take too long other wise." He agreed and then led the way up high into the air, this way making the probability of the crowd being hit by stray blasts less. That and these two warriors would need all the space they could get. After all, it was once said that they would need a whole planet as their ring to fight properly…

The two stayed completely level as they continued to rise into the air until they finally came to a stop high above the arena. Here the two entered a stare down.

"Well this will be the place you lose to me. Be prepared, Kakarot." Vegeta announced. Goku smiled more at this.

"Same old Vegeta." Goku commented and the sunk into a stance. Vegeta's smirk widened and he got into a stance of his own.

They continued to stare for a little longer until Vegeta lost patience. He was the first to attack.

Vegeta flared out his kai to propel himself forward. He lunged at Goku and moved at an incredible speed to swing a right hook at Goku's head. Goku lifted his forearm up to block and shoved his free arm up to catch Vegeta in the gut but the prince blocked it with his left forearm and flung his knee upwards to impact Goku's gut. The younger saiyan doubled over but disappeared before Vegeta could further his combo. The prince growled and turned round just in time to block Goku's fists that had been sailing down towards Vegeta's head. Goku's fists were pushed aside and Vegeta elbowed Goku hard in the gut and then added two sharper jabs to the same spot. Goku grunted in pain and began to fall backwards but Vegeta had already grabbed Goku's arm. The prince swung Goku round several times before throwing him down towards the ground.

Goku disappeared not long after being let go and reappeared above Vegeta with his fists firmly laced together. Goku swung them down to make contact with the princes head and Vegeta was then forced to fall down but the prince pulled a move similar to Goku's and appeared above him, coming down in a drop kick. Goku steered out of the way just in time and then swung his fist at Vegeta but Vegeta caught it and pushed it aside. Next both saiyans threw punches at the exact same time and each punch collided with the other warrior's fist until they both gave up that approach and both tried to knee each other. Their legs collided again and again until both warriors floated apart. Both growled at the other and then Vegeta quickly threw a fist-sized ki-blast at Goku who deflected it but Vegeta had more up his sleeve and began to fire a multitude of much larger blasts at Goku. Goku had no choice but to frantically dodge which he managed easily until Vegeta appeared in front of him and fired a blast at point blank range, right into Goku's chest.

Goku grunted and fell back but quickly recovered and ended up performing a flip kick that caught the prince off guard. Vegeta growled as he floated backwards and then lunged forward again to attack Goku with a multitude of punches that Goku quickly attempted to block until Vegeta got a lucky punch in that hit Goku right in the nose. Vegeta then used an axe kick to knock the other saiyan away but Goku had better ideas. The kick hit but Goku came back with a short-range kamehameha that sent Vegeta flying.

Vegeta growled as he managed to stop himself but when he looked up, Goku was already above him and was forming a more powerful kamehameha.

"…HA!" Goku screamed and let the blast rip through the air. Vegeta crossed his arms in front of him to block the blast. The blast exploded on impact and when the smoke cleared Vegeta floated there proud and unscathed.

"The warm up is over." He announced and powered up to the next level of super saiyan, his hair almost looking like golden knives, as they stood more ridged. Goku smirked at Vegeta.

"For a minute there I thought that was it, you were the one that said no warm ups." Goku pointed out and burst into the next level as well, ki-bolts running frantically down his body.

"I guess I lied." Vegeta said snidely and then charged forward, recommencing the battle.

Four hours later and neither warrior looked worn out. Of course that was a lie. Both warriors had been giving it everything they had for the past four hours and had even powered up to level three at one point. But a winner was still undecided and neither was planning on giving up anytime soon. But down in the audience, none of the humans really knew what was going on. They had only seen the odd flashes of ki-blasts really and at the odd moment one of the warriors would come crashing back into the ring and the fight would continue there until one needed to escape to catch their breath. Then the fight would go back to the heights above the arena. This made the crowd restless.

Up in the air, Vegeta was keeping Goku on the run with vigorous punches and kicks that seemed to come from every direction and Goku was finding it hard to block. He was also finding it hard not to use his new transformation. Vegeta was completely even with him at level three now and Goku was admittedly impressed by it.

Goku saw an opening and took it, thrusting his fist in to Vegeta's chest. Vegeta grunted from the blow and then had Goku's knee impact with his jaw. Vegeta fell backwards and then he disappeared from view. Goku whirled round, searching for his opponent and then spotted Vegeta high above him with one palm facing towards Goku.

"Final flash!" Vegeta screamed and fired the blast. Goku raised his arms to block and the force of the blast sent him falling towards the ground. Vegeta took off after Goku and followed the younger saiyan down towards the ground until Vegeta quickly sped up and came at Goku from the side. They were back in the arena at this point and Vegeta spin kicked Goku towards the stands but Goku instant translocated beside Vegeta and hit the prince hard towards the ground. Vegeta landed on the tiled and broken surface of the ring and quickly used it to rebound back up to Goku to continue the fight.

The announcer watched them in awe just as one of the many monks ran towards him and pulled on his sleeve. The announcer looked at the monk in surprise and then allowed him to whisper into his ear. The announcer nodded and then straightened up. He lifted his microphone to his mouth and yelled into it.

"I'm afraid that this match will have to stop there! Could the combatants please stop fighting?" the announcer yelled at the top of his lungs and both warriors put a halt to what they were doing and looked at the announcer curiously – well Vegeta had more of a death glare – as Goku held Vegeta's fist and Vegeta had been trying to push Goku's knee away. They were in a very awkward position.

The announcer sighed with relief – ignoring or just not seeing Vegeta's glare – and wiped his brow.

"You both have put up an incredible fight but I am afraid that we have ran out of time. Matches are not supposed to last this long and you have gone far over the time limit so I am afraid that this match is done. Now the tournament officials will select a winner by who they think has had the best performance in this match." The announcer announced and then stepped aside as four important looking monks made their way forward. Goku and Vegeta stared at them and then parted. Goku looked at them curiously and Vegeta continued to give them all death glares whilst holding his normal pose consisting of his arms crossed firmly across his chest.

"After much debate," the eldest and most important monk began, "we have chosen a winner. We are very proud to announce that after that vigorous match that Son Goku has proven to us that he is the better fighter. Congratulations, you are the winner Son Goku!"

There was mixed reactions around the whole arena. Goku looked surprised yet happy and flashed the monks a large son grin where as Vegeta's reaction was much the opposite.

"What? This is an outrage! You know nothing about that match! You can't even comprehend it! Baka pathetic humans!" Vegeta yelled at them. Goku sweat dropped nervously and rested a hand onto Vegeta's back.

"Cool it Vegeta, they couldn't exactly see all of it. Let it go, we can have another match any other time." Goku assured the prince. Vegeta glared daggers at Goku and then stormed of, still muttering about baka human monks and their blind sightedness. Goku continued to sweat drop after Vegeta.

Not long after and the award ceremony took place. Not many of the z fighters watched. The son family – minus Goten - and the humans all watched but most of the Briefs skipped it deciding that it had been unfair having the monks decide. Bra joined her mother in watching but Trunks went off to find his father.

He found Vegeta in his normal form in the courtyard behind the waiting area. Vegeta was pounding on the wall to take off some of his stress. Trunks decided not to interfere but then noticed that his father was already talking to someone.

"The nerve! Stupid! Baka! Humans!" Vegeta continued to Curse.

"Yea, I know. You were totally robbed but no one takes these things 100 percent seriously. The monks didn't see so it doesn't really count as Goku's victory. It was more of a draw or interruption…" the second person stated calmly. It was Zara and she was staring at Vegeta who had stopped his assault on the wall and was now staring at her.

"Uh oh, you have a look. What are you going to do?" she asked. Vegeta grunted and started walking off.

"I'm going to prove that Kakarot should not have won that." Vegeta announced and took off, not even noticing Trunks. Zara growled.

"Wait! Vegeta!" she called and hurried after, leaving Trunks to chase after awkwardly.

The award ceremonies were all over and the gang were now walking towards the restaurant for the celebratory meal. Goku led the way with his family and friends at his side. They came to a bridge that led to the part of the island where all of the restaurants were and found Vegeta blocking the way with Trunks and Zara behind him looking awkward.

"Kakarot! We will finish our match now! I don't care what those pathetic monks say, our match is incomplete and I want to finish it!" He announced. Bulma growled and stepped out of the crowd to reason with him.

"Vegeta, this isn't the time or the place! Can't it wait?" she asked, irritably. Chichi had been bragging about her Goku winning ever since the monks declared it…

Vegeta frowned at her and refused to move.

"No onna, this must be settled now!" he insisted and Goku then stepped forward with his usual grin in place.

"Ok Vegeta, I'll fight you!" He called and burst into the super saiyan transformation. Vegeta smirked and did the same, keeping his level even with Goku's the whole time. The two saiyans smirked at each other as they entered a stare down. The rest of the gang quickly stepped back to avoid any stray attacks. Both saiyans then sunk into a stance with every intention of continuing their match.

Then a low rumble filled the air that quickly turned into a very loud growl and Goku's power level quickly fell as he dropped out of super saiyan.

"Can we eat first? I am completely starved." Goku announced. Everyone nearly face vaulted at his request and all of the older members of the gang started to laugh at the typical Goku behaviour. The laughter quickly spread and soon everyone was laughing, including Vegeta, and the laughter resonated through the evening air, making a good ending to a rather rocky day.

* * *

**A/N**: & I'm done with roughly 7,154 words. And it only took me all day. Longest chapter ever! (Passes out) 

Hopefully next Wednesday wil be the start of the super 17 saga so watch out! Ja'ne!

Sorry about any mistakes. I'm exhausted so there might be a few that I missed.


	19. chapter 18: plots

I'm back…& guess what time it is! The time I finally get to write the first of the chapters I've wanted to write! Yay!

Reviews:

Super saiyan 4 chichi: -glomps Vegeta, ignoring all risks of being blown to smithereens- no, Vegeta can't be humiliated! We must bow to prince Vegeta! That and Goku going ssj4 is just cheating…

Trugeta: yes, incredibly long chapter that is the longest I have ever written…but I'm not sure how much of that theory was yours. Think when I was reading it I was thinking of a story that actually enabled Gohan to go from ssj2 to mystic and then ssj4…meh. That theory has been out there so long I think everyone knows it, this one was just a bit more mine since Gohan couldn't go from ssj2 to full power in mystic form without powering down first. I haven't read that in anybody else's yet. Oh yea & I'd be really surprised if Vegeta didn't like Trunks and Zara getting together. She's a warrior, what else could he ask for?

Chico: everybody liked the fight scenes! I'm so happy! And Eli still takes after his daddy so…-looks at Eli weirdly-

Rejhan: aw, and I wanted to tease them a bit more. Well not really…meh, keep reading and maybe you'll like what I got planned for them.

Psy: no, he's not taking it too seriously. Gunning down Goku and the entire stadium probably would have…nah, this was just Vegeta venting out his anger. He got really into that fight and doesn't appreciate baka clueless monks interrupting. So he was just angry but cooled off after Goku's little 'I'm hungry' routine. He let it slid for a while after that and then they made it up in a lot of sparring matches at home. Does that clear things up?

But what I'm surprised at is that nobody has mentioned that the end of the last chapter was actually an ending of a GT episode yet.

Oh yea, and thanks to tzeron for reviewing as well. Now on with the story!

**Chapter 18: plots**.

The grey smog was thicker then usual. It swirled and danced around the area, keeping it nearly impossible to see an inch forward in any direction. A soul could wonder into it aimlessly and end up lost for all eternity…

One soul had recently found his way in and it felt as if he had been stuck there for years. They had said that it would be a hard journey before they pushed him through - what he remembered as - a portal but this seemed almost ridiculous. Now the poor soul wished that he could return to that other level. It had seemed so much less hellish.

But of course everything else seemed less hellish when one was in hell.

The man fell to his knees in a mixture of dismay and exhaustion. Everything seemed so tiring ever since he had arrived.

He stared at his old, wrinkly blue hands and bristled his red moustache as he remembered being thrown into the lower realms of hell. But was that really when all of his suffering had started?

The man adjusted his golden, pointed hat over his mass of tangled red hair and tried to remember.

It hadn't started when he had arrived in hell, or when he was in the check in station. It had started before that, when he had met the saiyans.

This man had been responsible for making a mass supply of robots called machine mutants that he had been planning on using to use to take control of his galaxy. He had set up a small planet to host his own religion so that he could gather people to use as an energy source for one of his strongest robots: Lude.

This man had also heard of the black star Dragonballs and had wanted to use them for his overall goal. That's what led him to meeting the saiyans.

Goku, Trunks and Pan had followed a Dragonball to Lude's planet and had ended up destroying Lude and freeing the race that had been forced to worship the giant robot. The trio then had moved on to the man's planet where they had learned about Bebi.

This man was responsible for re-building Bebi. This man was Doctor Myuu.

Myuu got shakily to his feet as he remembered the events that led up to his death. He growled at the memories and took on a new resolve. He was going to get out of this smog and find a way to get revenge.

Myuu began to walk purposefully through the smog again but soon stopped when he spotted what appeared to be another man walking towards him. Myuu squinted as he stared out at the new comer and realised that he was getting closer.

"Doctor Myuu I suppose?" the new man's voice called out as he approached. Myuu didn't answer right away and waited until the new man came to a halt in front of him.

This new man had long white hair in the same style of Myuu's. In fact Myuu was surprised at how much this man looked like himself except he had tanned skin instead of Myuu's blue. Also, this new man had a tall black hat with a red symbol printed across it with the letters R.R.

Myuu continued to survey this new man and then nodded.

"Yes, I'm Myuu. Who is asking?" Myuu asked. The other man's lips curled into a sly smirk.

"I am doctor Gero, a scientist from earth. And I am here to help you." the other man informed in an almost robotic voice.

Myuu looked at Gero sceptically.

"And how do you plan on doing that? I don't even know you and if you have not already noticed, we are in hell, lost in this smog for all eternity. You are in no place to help." Myuu pointed out but still Gero continued to smirk.

"We are not lost in this smog, we are at the end of it." Gero informed and Myuu suddenly noticed that the frightfully thick smog had rolled far behind them and now they stood underneath various pointed rock formations under a gloomy sky that easily matched the smog.

Gero watched Myuu carefully before continuing.

"And you may not know me but I know all there is too know about you."

Myuu looked at Gero in surprise and then took a step backwards. That was the last thing he expected.

"Who are you?" Myuu finally asked and Gero continued to smirk.

"I am a fellow damned soul who simply seeks an ally. You see if you help me then I will be able to not only set you free of this miserable waste land, but also every other soul here. All I ask is your assistance." Gero answered. Myuu was still sceptical.

"And what is it you acquire assistance with?" Myuu asked. Gero's smirk grew wider until it sent chills down Myuu's spine.

"In building a tool to defeat the saiyan Goku."

Myuu didn't need to think twice about this offer.

Not long afterwards Myuu found himself many miles away from the area he had met Gero in. They had travelled deep into hell to a secluded spot on a cliff face. Many rocks pointed up in obscene angles below them and above them the cliff they were on twisted up into a spire.

Here Myuu would meet the others Gero had banded together to help with his 'little project'.

When they arrived three creatures already occupied the area. There was a white lizard man with purple areas on his head and chest. This was Frieza and he sat calmly on a rock next to another insect-like creature that had a green exo-skeleton that was flecked with dark patches. He also had black wings and a white face. This was Cell and he stood watchful over Freiza's shoulder, surveying Myuu as he entered the area.

The third creature was a purple skinned man with green scales running down his neck. He had a white Mohawk and he wore silver armour with an emerald green cape. This was the warlord Kyaku.

Gero led Myuu calmly into the centre of the area and greeted the other three as if they were old friends.

"Frieza, Cell, Kyaku, how good it is to see you again." Gero greeted in a mock happy voice. Frieza glared at him.

"Quiet Gero, we are not your pals. Just tell us that you have what you need." He shot in his cold voice that sounded as if there was a frog in his throat.

Gero nodded to Frieza calmly and took on a more serious demeanour.

"I should have as long as my correspondent did as he was asked. Then we can press forward." Gero announced. Cell narrowed his gaze on Myuu.

"And what of him? Can he be trusted? Because if word gets out about your little plan then-"

Gero raised his hand to cut Cell off.

"I am well a wear of what will happen if we are ever caught but that is very unlikely. I have taken precautions. And I have faith that Dr Myuu here will not betray us." Gero informed. Cell narrowed his eyes but it was Kyaku who spoke next.

"Myuu won't be telling anyone of our plans. You forget that I can read minds and his is telling me that he is far too cowardly to risk upsetting any of us. Well me and Frieza at least." He informed with a smirk. Cell bristled and crossed his arms tightly across his chest.

"I thought you were supposed to have lost that ability down here as part of your punishment." Cell said moodily. Gero smirked at the question.

"That will be my doing. I have found a way to allow him to keep that little ability." The scientist announced to the others with pride. All of the others – except Kyaku – stared at Gero in shock.

"You can undo hell's bidding? How?" Frieza asked in bewilderment. He was going to have to take the doctor more seriously in the future.

Gero smirked smugly at the lizard and then averted his gaze to a rock far at the back of the platform. The area was heavily shadowed and inside it a figure of a woman with large, demonic wings and a thin tail sitting down could only just be seen.

"He can't, he just made a very good case to someone who can." The figure explained and all of the men turned to look at the woman. Frieza and Cell's moods then quickly made a turn for the worse and they quickly rounded on Gero.

"You dare bring one of her kind here?" Frieza spat.

"Her kind is what makes hell, hell. She cannot be trusted! She's a-" Cell began but once again Gero raised his hand to stop him.

"I know full well what she is but truth be told the plan cannot go ahead with out her. Her kind is bound to hell and is in reality the only ones who can control and shape it. She is the one that is giving Kyaku his psychic abilities back, which we do need, and is also the one who is keeping the ogres from knowing our plans. We need her." Gero explained and then watched the other men carefully for any objections. There were none.

"Now that that is settled, we have more pressing issues at hand. My correspondent should be here shortly." Gero finished and the others all went back to brooding in their separate corners.

Myuu looked round at the others in confusion, he had no idea as to what was going on but he didn't have anytime to ask the others how ever as a red creature suddenly descended into their sheltered spot. He was a tall, muscular ogre wearing a white vest top with Hell written across it. All the occupants of hell knew this ogre as Mez but the four creatures sitting in the area knew that this was an ogre possessed by a spirit. The spirit of captain Ginyu to be exact, whose frog body had died 20 years ago leaving him as a bodiless spirit cursed to float around hell for the rest of eternity.

Ginyu landed gracefully in the middle of the group and tossed a small bundle at Gero's feet. Gero stared at the bag and picked it up whilst Frieza addressed his former lackey.

"I'll take it that you were successful." He commented. Ginyu nodded.

"Yes sir! For a member of the Ginyu force," Ginyu quickly struck a pose with his arms above his head and one leg slightly bent, "always does," he then struck another with his legs far apart with one bent and the other fully out stretched and his arms were stretched out horizontally at his sides, "his job!" he announced and everyone aside from Gero and Ginyu sweat dropped.

"Do that again and I swear I'll slice you're new head right off." Kyaku hissed and then turned to Gero.

"So what's the verdict? Did the nut job get what you needed or what?" the warlord asked impatiently. In answer Gero tipped the contents of the bag out onto the floor.

"It will do." Gero informed them all. Myuu took this opportunity to look through the pile of mechanical parts that Gero had poured out of the bag.

"Just what are you planning on building with all this?" he asked the earthen scientist. Gero beamed at the parts.

"This will be a counterpart to one of my greatest creations back on earth. Before I died, I had finished completion of two twined cyborgs, 17 and 18. But you see 17 is the most important. Here I will make an artificial 17 that will help break the barrier between hell and earth and then he will combine with regular 17 to make an unstoppable being. This being will be far stronger then Cell and definitely more powerful then Goku." He explained and Gero looked sceptical once more.

"But what you are suggesting will take years. Goku and all of his friends could be dead before are completion." Myuu said, confused. Gero shook his head.

"No it won't, time here moves differently. We discovered this many years ago when the ogres were watching a fight that was taking place in heaven. Sometimes the occupants find a way to reach the top level of hell, which is more of an entrance and welcoming area. We all reached this level and discovered that one of the combatants was none other then Goku. We had thought that over a millennia had passed since we died but this proved that time moves different. It was also when I realised that we stood a chance of revenge still and I have been plotting ever since." Gero explained. There was a scoff from the corner of the area.

"Gero, I neither care or know about this Goku and I'm sure that the others here will agree when I say we do not want to hear your little story again. Just tell us if you can build it or not!" Kyaku ordered, fixing a hard glare on Gero. Gero returned the glare.

"Yes, providing that Myuu here agrees to help." Gero announced and then turned to Myuu. All eyes were now on the blue doctor.

Myuu looked at each face and then smirked.

"I'd be happy to." Myuu announced. Gero's face twisted into a triumphant smirk.

"Perfect. You three can go about your usual jobs. Cell and Frieza go back and check the others for any word that someone is catching on. Kyaku better get started with our…friend here. I'll start working with Myuu." Gero told the others. Cell and Frieza both flew off the cliff face to try and find their usual groups and Kyaku walked into shadows where the woman was waiting. Gero turned to Myuu and smirked.

"Well, lets begin." He announced and then the two scientists started setting to work.

Across the barrier between the living realm and that of the dead, on the little planet known as earth, something already wasn't right.

In a forest far in the north, in a small wooden cabin, a man was running frantically through his cabin. He had long, straight black hair that ended just above his shoulders and he had cold blue eyes. His clothes were a mess and he looked as if he had been sleeping rough lately.

The man rushed to a corner and crouched down init, hoping to stay hidden from what ever was chasing him.

This behaviour was very abnormal for him. Usually he would simply destroy any threats but whatever he was against was unaffected by all of his attacks.

Cyborg 17 was scared.

_Get a grip, 17! Cowering in a corner isn't going to sort this out…_he thought and then heard laughter. 17 gasped and then hit his head in frustration. He could sense his pursuer getting closer.

"Silly little robot. You know you can't hide from me. I'm in your head, fool." The voice called out and 17 gritted his teeth.

No footsteps were heard as another man entered the room. Not even his emerald cape sweeping across the floor made a sound. It was almost as if he wasn't there.

The man that looked oddly like Kyaku looked round the room and then noticed a small table with a lamp in it by one of the corners. He smirked and then started walking towards it. 17, who was crouching behind it, watched in fear, as the man got closer. He then gritted his teeth.

_For Kami's sake, 17! You're a cyborg and the strongest at that! You should be able to take him!_ 17 screamed in his head and then suddenly jumped to his feet and fired a series of ki-blasts at the man. The man just laughed as the blasts sailed through him as if he weren't even there. 17 backed against the wall, paralysed with fear as he watched the curtains behind the man burst into flames thanks to the blast. The man laughed psychotically.

"Fool, what part of 'I am in your head' don't you understand?" he asked, stepping forward so that his emerald green cape glided across the floor. But still he made no sound with his heavy footsteps.

17 grit his teeth as he stared at the man.

"What are you? Who are you?" 17 yelled at it. The purple man laughed again.

"I am a dead man with a message from Gero. I'm here for you." he – or it – announced and continued to step forward with his arm outstretched, glowing with a ghostly white aura.

17 backed further into the wall as the dead man continued to get closer; he had a bad feeling about this.

"No! Stay back!" 17 yelled but the dead man didn't listen.

"I said stay back! No! Get back!" 17 continued to yell just as the dead man touched the side of 17's head. Images and voices filled the cyborgs head along with a searing pain.

"NOOOO!" 17 screamed and then all went silent.

It was several weeks later and one week after the tournament. Goku was busy sparring with Pan in the back garden of his house whilst Gohan and Bra watched. Bulma and Bra had been invited round for a meal along with Trunks but as CEO of Capsule Corp. he hadn't yet made it.

Goten was still missing from after the budokai. He was avoiding Goku and all that had been found after they had all got back was a note from Goten explaining that he'll be with a friend for a while until he's ready to talk to Goku. Nobody knew where he had gone but Trunks had had a feeling he knew where. The fact that Marron no longer seemed to be worrying about Goten as much had been all he needed as a clue but he hadn't told anyone.

As for Trunks and Zara, they hadn't seen each other for a week. She seemed to be pulling a stunt similar to Goten's only for different reasons. Only Bulma and Vegeta knew why but that was only because of work and what Vegeta knew about the Kalroos.

So Trunks hadn't been able to talk to Zara but had plenty of time to reflect.

Videl looked out of the window to stare out at the others.

"Hey guys! Dinner's ready!" she called and Goku and Pan parted from their spare.

"Alright! I'm starved!" Goku exclaimed and Pan laughed.

"Thought as much Grandpa. Race ya!" She called and then flew to the door. Goku grinned and instant translocated in side leaving the others to walk in behind.

Pan skidded to a halt as she reached the dinning room and then spotted her grandfather at the table, eagerly awaiting his food. Pan's triumphant smirk then faded to a sweat drop.

"No fair, you cheated grandpa." She pouted and Goku laughed at her.

"Sorry Pan but you had a head start." He pointed out. Pan frowned at him and took her place at the table.

"No I didn't." she argued. Chichi chuckled as she placed a large plate of food in front of each saiyan.

"Its best not to argue with your grandfather, dear. When food is involved nothing will stop Goku from getting to it first." She pointed out and went to get the rest of the plates. Pan sighed and nodded.

"Well you have a point there." She agreed. Goku pouted slightly as he looked at his granddaughter.

"Hey, that's not quite true." He argued and went to start on his food. He had just got a good fork full when a frying pan collided with the back of his head.

"Goku! You know that we have to wait for everyone before you eat!" Chichi exclaimed and then placed the plates on the table. Goku whined as he stared longingly at his food. Bulma and Videl had just joined them at the table after helping Chichi and the others were still coming.

"But Chi…" Goku started but then stopped as the frying pan came out again. His face quickly wore an expression of 'I'll be good' and Chichi settled down in the place next to her husband. Not long after and Gohan and Bra finally made it inside. They then all started to eat with no more interruptions from Chichi and her Frying Pan Of Doom™. The saiyans ate in their normal piggish way that meant they were swallowing their food without chewing, whilst the others ate their food and talked amongst themselves as they were clearly used to the saiyans' eating habits. Bra was the only saiyan there that wasn't eating in the 'usual' saiyanly way. She had worked hard on eating like humans just so that she wouldn't gross everyone out at school. But that didn't mean she wasn't as focused on her food as the other saiyans.

"Mmm, Chichi, this food tastes great." Bulma commented as she tried the food. Chichi smiled at Bulma.

"Thank you. Its nice to have someone appreciate it." Chichi replied. Goku chose that moment to hold out his plate.

"More please." He asked and all of the humans sweat dropped. Chichi sighed and got up to serve her husband some more food.

"Well it is really good." Bulma called to Chichi. Videl nodded.

"Yes. Chichi is one of the best cooks I know. She was the one to teach me." She commented and then looked over to the saiyans as they all pushed away spotless plates.

"That was great mum." Gohan called and then Pan looked to her parents.

"Can me and Bra go spar outside?" she asked. Videl didn't know what to say but Gohan dismissed them.

"Sure, go have fun kids." He said and the other two jumped down and ran off, just as Chichi came in with two extra large plates of food. Goku quickly took them and he and Gohan set to work stuffing the food into their mouths. Chichi sighed.

"Its so nice to know that you are appreciated."

The meal continued with the three women watching the men continue to eat until the two girls were heard yelling from outside. The group round the table looked at each other in confusion and then Bra came running inside with Pan helping Trunks walking in after. Bulma and the others were on their feet in seconds.

"Trunks? What happened?" his mother asked as she quickly ran over to him and began to fuss. Trunks was actually fine but his leg had a deep cut in it.

"Nothing much. Just 17 decided to jump my limo. He blew the whole thing up and knocked out Bernie." He explained as he sat down on the nearest chair.

"What?" Gohan asked as he approached a long with the others. Trunks turned to him and began to recount what had happened.

"I was coming here and was probably about halfway here when a blast came out of no where and blew up the car. I only just managed to protect my chauffer but my leg got cut up pretty bad. Well anyway, I looked up for whoever did it and then spotted 17 on the road further away from the car with his palm still smoking. I demanded an explanation and all he said is that he has a message for Goku."

Goku looked puzzled as he stared at the prince. This wasn't making sense.

"That doesn't sound right. 17 hasn't caused any trouble for years. What was his message?" he asked and Trunks looked thoughtful as he tried to remember the exact words.

"It was something about a guy named Gero. He wants to challenge you, Goku." He said. This made Goku even more confused.

"That can't be. Gero is dead. He's been paying a hefty sentence in hell for the past 27 years." Gohan was the one to reply.

"Err, guys, I don't think that's the problem." Pan called. She was over by the window, looking up at the sky. She was pointing at something up there.

"What do you mean, Pan?" Videl asked as the Son men made their way to the window. What they saw made them gasp.

The sky had seemingly opened up to make a large hole and from it descended hundreds of figures that were too far away to make out by sight. But the men recognised their energy signatures.

"Cell, Frieza, Nappa. Kami, I can even feel the saibamen! Its as if these guys are dropping straight out of Hell and onto our doorstep!" Gohan exclaimed.

"What? But how is that even possible?" Bulma cried, mirroring the shocked expression of the other women. Goku was frowning up at the sky.

"I don't know. But I am going to find out." He announced.

* * *

**A/N**: this one probably seems really short compared to the last one but I'm finished anyway. I hope it was ok.

Well this one is the start of the super 17 saga. All explanations are coming next chapter. How hell is open, who the woman is and probably some other stuff so you'll want to read next chapter. Also, my take on how hell is run! Yay!

Oh, and for those who don't know, Kyaku is from the girl next door so if you want to know his story then you'll have to look back. I had to use him for reasons that'll be explained next chapter.

Ok, so next chapter should be tomorrow if I'm lucky. Don't you just love holidays? Bye!


	20. chapter 19: trapped

Wow, I got a lot of reviews and fast. Ok three reviews just about an hour after posting but still.

Reviews:

Trugeta: and a metaphorical cookie goes to Tru! Yes, that is what I did. I'm not so sure about how a17 came to be, pretty sure I covered all there is, but there are lots on how regular 17 got forced into following orders :)

Chico: -laughs- whatever he says… Heh, glad you liked it. I'm normally kind of bad at the social side.

Son Oliver: Erm, yea, something like that. Kyaku was doing it more to force 17 to do as Gero said by putting his sanity at risk. You'll see in here. With Frieza and Cell on Earth then Goku is going to be doing something totally different. Hope you enjoy!

Rejhan: well I don't know if Trunks saw 17 in Z but how Trunks recognised 17 in this story is by not only sensing nothing from him but also by meeting him when he went to visit Marron and her family a few times. 17 is her uncle after all so I think he would go and visit his niece.

And thanks also to super saiyan 4 chichi for reviewing!

**Chapter 19: trapped.**

Chichi stared at her husband's back as she tried to make sense of what he was saying.

"And how are you planning on finding out?" she asked with her arms placed firmly on her hips. Goku turned to face her and flashed a crafty smile.

"Simple I'm going to meet Gero." He answered. The others all stared at him in surprise and Trunks got painfully to his feet.

"But Goku, he wants you to go up there to meet him through that hole. This has to be some kind of trap!" he informed Goku who shrugged it off.

"I'm stronger then I have ever been before and I'm definitely stronger then Gero is and if I get into any real trouble then I always have my new transformation. I'll be fine." Goku assured the group. Gohan frowned at his father.

"Dad, you don't know what's going on up there. Gero had to have done something big to make that hole so you shouldn't know what to expect! He might have gotten a huge power boost or something to be able to do that. And besides, its hell up there! You know that place of eternal suffering. Everything could be different and you could end up getting trapped there," he argued but Goku waved it off.

"I know my way around hell and I know where the exit is. If something goes wrong then I'll just go to the check in station and have Yemma get someone to bring me back. No harm done." He said calmly. The others all looked at him, exasperated and with no more ideas on how to convince Goku not to go. They knew that there was practically no way to get Goku to back out of a challenge but something definitely did not seem right about this.

"Mum! Guys! Come in here! You have to see this!" Bra yelled from the living room and the others all quickly filtered in.

"What's wrong, honey?" Bulma asked as she quickly took in what her daughter was pointing at.

A News broadcast was playing. It was a scene from down town West City showing complete pandemonium. People were screaming whilst running for their lives as very familiar people followed calmly, blasting anything that moved

"**_The city was caught by complete shock a matter of minutes ago when the sky seemingly opened up to form a large hole. It is not determined where the hole leads to but scientists have been working to finding out. But only a matter of minutes ago one of the probes that was sent up to examine it was blown to smithereens and many strange creatures began filtering out, many of which seem human. We are still trying to determine what they want and-" _**the reporter had paled several shades as he spotted something behind his camera man, **_"oh my Kami! Look out! Its Cell!_**" he yelled and the next thing any body knew, the reporter had been reduced to a flaming spot on the ground and Cell's all to familiar face was on the screen.

"**_I always hated the news._**" He proclaimed and then the screen only showed static. Goku growled at it.

"That's it. Gohan, Trunks, get the others and go down town and try to stop them. I'm going to Gero to try and sort out this mess from there," the saiyan announced and this time no body argued as they all hurried out of the house.

On a cliff beneath the hole in the sky stood a lone man. His hair and coat blew wildly as he powered up and sent ki through the hole but he did this as if he were a sleep. His cold eyes were completely glazed over and he seemed to have nearly no will of his own. All that 17 could now think of was what had happened to him over the past few weeks of constant torment.

At first all he had seen was the purple man following him around. 17 had dismissed it nearly at once as either a malfunction or stress simply because he was the only one who saw him, everyone else just walked straight through him.

But then the dreams came. The dreams that would always start off as a blur of memories flashing through his head at light speeds. Memories of all he had done in his life and even some memories he didn't know he had. These memories would just flash through his head leaving him with practically no time to focus on and most of the time all he would see was a blur of colour and an insane mixture of noises, almost as if the whole world was talking to him at once.

And then the flashes would stop. They would simply stop and all that would be left was utter silence and nothing but dark that would press in on him until he was sure he would go mad.

He had these nightmares for about a week and then afterwards every time he saw the man he would blank out and have the nightmare. Soon the man made more frequent visits and 17 had more frequent blackouts until one day, instead of nothing but dark and silence in the end of his nightmare was Gero, offering the make it all stop. All he had to do was help free Gero and go to him and 17 would be able to save his sanity.

So now he was on a cliff, sending energy through the hole to keep it open whilst on the other side of it a man identical to 17 was doing the exact same thing. Behind him stood Myuu, Gero and Kyaku.

"Artificial 17 is doing a good job staying in sync." Myuu commented and Gero nodded.

"Of course. Kyaku is doing a good job of telling the older 17 what to do." The earthen scientist added. Kyaku then stepped forward, losing his white glow.

"It is done. 17 will continue to do as he is doing until you stop on this end. Then he will search for you." The warlord informed the doctors who both nodded.

"Very good job, Kyaku. You really do live up to your legend. You may go and do as you please on earth now." Gero instructed. Kyaku nodded and then flew through the hole in the floor that was in front of the 17 copy. The doctors watched him go silently.

"This is quite amazing. Who knew that you could make a rift in hell simply by having someone to exchange ki with on the other side? This almost seems too easy." Myuu commented.

"Maybe to you but this took a great deal of research on my part. It is quite satisfying to have it work out this way." Gero said in answer. Myuu nodded.

"And are you sure he'll come?" Myuu asked. Gero smirked.

"Most definitely."

Back on earth, Goku was flying as fast as he could towards the hole in the sky. The flow of escapees had stopped and now only one or two seemed to still be in the air but Goku didn't have time to worry about them. He had to get to Gero.

Goku quickly reached the hole and flew straight through it, not even stopping to consider what he would do when he reached his destination. He just carried on going and eventually burst through the smog to reach his destination.

Goku landed gracefully next to the large hole and quickly looked around. He didn't recognise where he was but that was the least of his concerns. On the other side of the hole stood Gero, Myuu and artificial 17.

"Ah, Goku. We have been expecting you." Gero greeted from across the hole. Goku quickly turned to survey them. Gero was smirking and Myuu looked positively confused where as A17 looked passive.

"Were you now? What made you so sure that I would come?" Goku asked, focusing once more on Gero.

"Because, my dear saiyan, you are too predictable. Now aren't you going to ask about our little plan since I know that you are just dying to know." Gero answered. Goku sighed and then nodded.

"Ok then, what are you guys up to?" he asked and Gero's smirk widened.

"Simple. First we planned on luring you here. You're now going to stay here while we return to earth and start a new world – or maybe universal – order while you enjoy finding out just what kind of 'fun' we had here ever since you damned us to this hell!" Gero announced. Goku stared blankly at them.

"And how do you plan on making me stay here?" Goku asked. Myuu laughed before answering.

"Fool! Artificial 17 here has stopped his little exchange of ki. The hole will be closed in a matter of seconds and there is nothing you can do about it. Good bye!"

Goku's eyes widened as he heard this and then looked straight at A17 and then at the closing hole. Sure enough Myuu was right and now Goku was going to have to move fast.

Goku leapt into the air and started a diving motion but before he was even close to the hole a fire ball hit his side hard and the hero was sent flying into the nearest pile of rocks. The two scientists laughed and then flew through the hole along with A17 just before the hole closed up completely.

Back on Earth the situation was getting worse. The escaped hellions were busy tearing apart the city and there was nothing that the humans could do but run or die.

Goten had been on a date with Paris when the hole in the sky had opened up and now they were in the middle of the mess.

"Its ok, Paris. Just don't make any sudden moves." Goten coaxed. They had been enjoying lunch in a little café until the Ginyu force had decided to make an appearance. Now they were completely surrounded and Goten was acting as a saiyan barrier to protect Paris.

"Oh…Goten…" Paris whimpered from behind. The four members of the Ginyu force all snickered at the couple.

"Come on guys, lets have a little fun." The orange man with the long white hair announced. The others all chuckled and stepped closer. Goten growled and watched.

The smallest of the force decided to move first but Goten easily grabbed his leg and swung the little guy in to the largest of the force that had been leaping forward. The little guy collided hard with the big guy's stomach and they both crashed into a wall. Next up were the orange man and the blue man. The blue man zipped to Goten's side where as the orange guy jumped towards Goten from above. Goten watched them both carefully and smirked before disappearing. The next thing the Ginyu force knew, the orange man had been kicked straight into the blue and they were both down. Goten landed smugly in front of Paris.

The Ginyu force all scrambled to their feet and jumped further away from Goten.

"Hey! You kids don't know who you're messing with!" the orange guy announced.

"How about we tell them." The blue guy asked and the others all nodded and got into position.

"Jeice!" the orange man yelled and got into a pose so that he was on one leg with his arms arched over his head and his leg bent up behind him.

"Burter!" the blue man yelled as he got into his pose with his palms connected to his face and his legs bent.

"Racoome!" the large red head yelled, getting into a stance with one leg bent and his arms pointed straight up.

"Guldo!" the little green four-eyed man exclaimed in a little handstand.

"And together we are!" they all yelled as they came together for one final pose.

"Oh shut up." Goten called and then blasted the whole Ginyu force, instantly killing them and sending them back to the check-in station.

Goten smiled at his handy work and then turned to Paris who was leaning against a wall, breathing hard.

"Goten…this is the last straw…" she muttered. Goten looked completely bewildered.

"What?" he asked her and walked over to her. She backed away.

"Goten, this is the third time something like this has happened! We have already been attacked by Bebi and then there was you fight at the tournament and now this! I don't know how much more I can take!" she confessed. Goten continued to stare at her in confusion.

"I don't understand what you're saying…" he said. Paris pushed herself away from the wall.

"I'm saying that I want a normal relationship where I don't feel like I'm going to keep being attacked! I just don't think that this is going to work." She explained and then took a step away from Goten.

"But Paris, babe…" he started.

"No Goten. I'm sorry but I have to go. Good bye." She said and then left, leaving Goten to stare blankly after her.

"Whoa, you ok man?" someone asked from behind Goten. The demi glanced over his shoulder and there was Trunks.

"I guess…I…" Goten started and then just punched the wall in annoyance.

"I just can't believe this! Its just one pitfall after another round here, isn't it?" Goten asked hotly. Trunks sighed and rested a hand on his friends shoulder.

"Kinda but on the bright side a ton of bad guys just escaped from hell. Could be good stress relief." Trunks joked and Goten cracked a smile.

"Maybe." He replied and then the two men took off towards the nearest bad guys.

It didn't take long to find some as only a block away Cell and Frieza sat destroying random people that ran past. It appeared that they had decided to have a little fun before gathering together the others.

Cell idly watched Frieza blast away random people that ran past. Frieza targeted a little red haired girl and fired, just to have the relatively weak blast come back at him. Frieza deflected it and looked at the new arrivals in surprise. Goten and Trunks stood in front of the girl and Goten's arm was still up having just deflected the blast.

"Well what do we have here?" Frieza asked nobody in particular in amusement. He studied Goten closely and then shifted his gaze to Trunks.

Frieza froze.

Slowly an angry snarl stretched across Frieza's lips as he continued to stare at Trunks. Cell noticed this and stood up.

"Calm down Frieza. He is just this world's version of the man who killed you. The one who killed you was from a completely different timeline, remember?" Cell told the lizard and continued to stare at Trunks as well.

"So? He is still technically the same person. And I will make him pay for what I have been through!" Frieza announced. Goten glanced at Trunks.

"Do you have any idea what these guys are talking about?" he whispered to Trunks.

"Something about one of mum's old stories I think." Trunks replied and then turned to Frieza.

"I Don't know what you're talking about or who you are but that's not going to stop me from sending you right back to where you came from." He announced and Frieza snarled.

"Not this time!" Frieza yelled back at Trunks and was about to leap forward when a new voice broke in.

"Hey! You guys aren't going to start a party without me, are you?" it was Zara, standing on a rock with the guys all looking at her in surprise.

Cell turned his head to get a good look at the woman and then froze himself.

_No! It can't be! Not her… _He thought, gaping at Zara as memories of the longhaired woman with the cold blue eyes filled his head. This girl looked just like her.

Trunks noticed Cell's weird reaction to Zara but decided to ignore it.

"Hey Zar! Where have you been? You were out for a week." Trunks called to Zara who suddenly looked a little embarrassed.

"Um…that can wait. Who are your friends?" she called back.

Cell had calmed down upon hearing Trunks's greeting and was now staring intently at Zara.

_It's not her. The other girl was called Sam. And this girl has golden eyes instead of blue. Must be her off spring. Hmm, this could be entertaining after all._ He thought and made to leap forward.

"Hang on Cell. Its not nice to attack when nobody is ready." A new voice called and Cell growled before turning round to face the newcomer.

"Gohan. What a pleasure it is to see you again. And all grown up as well I see." Cell greeted snidely. Frieza took his glare off of Trunks for a moment to stare at Gohan before going back to the lavender haired prince. Gohan was nothing special according to memory.

Gohan smirked and then stepped forward.

"How about we go at it. For old times sake?" Gohan suggested, still wearing a smirk. Cell frowned and then lunged, driving Gohan back with a punch.

Trunks and the others watched with mild curiosity and then Trunks turned to Zara.

"That was weird. Wonder what that was all about." He asked and his two friends shrugged before an impatient Frieza tackled Trunks, leaving Zara and Goten alone.

"Looks like we'll have to find someone else." Goten muttered. Zara nodded and then looked up.

"Think I found my guy." she muttered and frowned up at whoever was approaching them.

Kyaku flew down towards them and touched down just in front of the two. He stared meaningfully at Zara.

"I didn't expect to find you so easily." He admitted. Zara glared at the warlord as he spoke.

"Well I'm not exactly one to hide." She shot back. Kyaku smirked.

"I suppose not. Well you know what happens next." He replied. Zara's glare hardened.

"Yea, I kill you again." She announced and then phased out of sight. Kyaku smirked and followed suit.

Goten sweat dropped as he looked round at all of the fights and sighed.

"Greet, they get all of the strong ones." He said moodily and then noticed a small group of Cell juniors and Saibamen chasing a group of people.

"Better then nothing I suppose…" Goten muttered and then chased the group.

Goku groaned as he sat up. He couldn't work out what had hit him so hard. He frowned and then sniffed the air as he noticed something burning. Goku's face contorted in confusion and looked over his shoulder. The back of his shirt was on fire.

"Ah!" he yelled and quickly beat it out and then sighed. Fireballs weren't good…

Goku then noticed that the hole in the floor was gone.

"Great…guess I will need to find the staircase after all…" he muttered and then looked around. All around him were giant spire like rock formations that stuck out at all angles. The sky was a dark purple and the whole area was made of grey granite. This was not the hell Goku knew.

"Err…where am I?" he wondered a loud. After receiving no answer, the saiyan decided to try flying to gain a more accurate idea of where he was. He took to the air and soon found that it didn't help. The whole place looked exactly the same wherever he looked and it seemed to stretch on forever. It almost reminded him of the hyperbolic time chamber, only darker and demonic.

Goku sighed again after realising that this really wasn't helping and then spotted something far below him. Something was shining in the light and there was a lot of it. So after a moments thought, Goku flew down to what he had spotted.

What he found made him gasp.

What he found was all of the ogres that guarded hell completely frozen in ice. Most he recognised others were strangers but Goku could tell that all of them were the ones that usually kept order in hell.

And then he found some more creatures encased in ice but these ones were most definitely not ogres. These creatures had demonic horns and wings along with thin spiked tails. They all looked rather a lot like the cartoon demons in the shows Goten had watched as a kid.

And then there was the biggest that looked more or less like the cartoon devil himself. He was twice the size of any normal man with the biggest wings out of the lot. He also had curled horns and everything below the waist looked like it had been taken from a goat. And then his tail was long and thick with one large spike on the end. His face was contorted in fury.

Goku couldn't take his eyes away from the demonic frozen creature before him. He was so engrossed in the demon that he didn't even notice the horned woman walk up beside him.

"Pretty, isn't it?" she asked with her head tilted to the side. Goku nearly jumped out of his skin when she spoke and quickly whirled around to stare at her.

"What? Where did you come from?" he asked, completely caught of guard.

The woman stared at him with storm grey eyes.

"I've been here all along." She replied. Goku blinked as he stared at her and surveyed her. She had black hair that trailed down to her mid-back. She had two long strands that framed her face and rested just above the two little horns that were protruding out of her forehead. But her outfit was like nothing Goku had ever seen before. It seemed to be constructed purely out of red leather, the top only just covered what it needed to and came down to form some very tight short shorts. She wore thigh high boots and long red gloves that ended just above her elbows. And finally she had wings and a tail very similar to the frozen creatures around them.

"Did the hole close before you could get out or something?" Goku asked as he watched her. The woman shook her head.

"I can't ever leave here." She told him. Goku looked confused by this and the girl moved her head round to look at him properly.

"For a guy that was dead for a while, you sure don't know a lot, do you?" she commented and Goku's puzzled look grew. The girl sighed and looked back at the statues.

"Hell, and heaven as well, are both set up so that only three groups of people are needed to maintain it. There are the Ogres that settle any and all disputes and act as guards. Then there are seers that are all in the same area as the check in station. They handle surveillance. And finally there is my kind." She explained. Goku looked puzzled.

"And what are your kind?" he asked.

"In heaven we look more like what you call angels and are in charge of keeping everyone happy by either keeping the fridges stocked up or keeping the housing warm. Stuff like that. Here we are in charge of punishing those who come to stay here. All of the villains and bad people that you have sent here I have had a part in torturing. Cell, Frieza, Gero and many others." She explained and then turned to look at Goku properly.

"You see my kind is responsible for looking after hell. We are bound to it, born from it and we draw our powers from it. I can't ever leave here." She explained. Goku blinked a few times as he took in this information and then smiled.

"Hey! If all that's true then you should be able to help me get out of here!" Goku exclaimed. The devil girl laughed at this.

"You really are as naïve as they said you were." She commented. Goku looked confused by this and DG continued.

"Why do you think that all of these people are frozen? Why do you think that I am the only one here that isn't frozen? Don't you get it? I did this!" she explained. Goku looked startled by her sudden change of behaviour but that quickly passed. He soon was in a stance with his rare serious look on his face.

"What did you do?" he asked and DG laughed again.

"Simple. These guys were having a meeting. Boring stuff really, more of giving a report. But as they were all together I brought out the soul-freezing machine and froze them all. And now since I'm the only one taking energy from this place then that makes me the strongest." She explained. Goku frowned and inched closer, sticking to his tight stance.

"Why?" he asked. DG shrugged.

"Because I was bored and Gero gave a good argument. You don't know what its like serving down here," she started and then turned to smoke. Goku's eyes widened as he watched it float towards him and settle round him. The smoke became solid again and DG was standing behind him with her arms wrapped loosely round his neck.

"To work down here you have to know every single little detail about your client. You have to know everything just to use it against them and make them feel like dirt. That's not the bad part because its what I do best but the fact that you get assigned hundreds of those guys means that your head is soon over flowing with useless rubbish that presses against your mind and makes it hard to think." She then growled and spun Goku around to stare directly into his eyes.

"And most of the time these guys come here because of stupid little do gooders like your self!" she snapped and then pushed away.

"But then that little smart-ass cyborg freak decided that he had hope and thought that there was a way out. You gave him hope after he found out you were still alive and that made my job a whole lot harder. But then he began to talk to me during our little sessions. He seemed to think that you would be a challenge. He seemed to think that I would never be able to break you like I have done to so many others. I mean, sure he was probably saying that just to make me help him but," she turned to Goku and smirked down at him, "I've never been able to resist a challenge. That and I'll just be able to make Gero's hell a bigger one when he gets back here after your little friends are done with him." She finished. Goku got back on to his feet and smirked.

"So you think you'll be able to 'break' me?" he asked. DG smirked and nodded.

"I know exactly where to hit you and you can't do anything to me." She confirmed. Goku wore a similar smirk.

"Lets see." He announced and transformed into his new transformation, the brown monkey hair covering his arms and his hair growing out. He then crouched into his stance with his hands held together at his side.

"Kamehameha!" he yelled quickly and fired the large blue wave right at the devil girl.

No explosion followed and DG simply stood there as it hit. A moment later and she still stood there.

"Oh, that kinda tingled." She commented and sent him a wicked smile. Goku stared at her in disbelief.

"Oh don't tell me that you thought that would work. Or didn't I mention? We are in hell. The demons that dwell here – like me – feed off of the surrounding area and any soul inside it, whether they are dead or alive. So you're helpless here. Welcome to the rest of eternity." She announced and stood over Goku, ready to inflict all she knew onto the saiyan hero…

* * *

**A/N**: well the creepy little devil girl, DG, is about to have her way with Goku. That can't be good. Next time there's DG's little Goku torture and random fights with the Z gang. And probably some more on hell to boot. So review me and tell me what you think about my twisted little version of hell!

Oh yea, and while I remember you might want to look out for a fic I'm doing with Emily11 called "dream vaders" under the pen name Emra. It's a weird little DBZ fic that involves members of the planetary trade trying to take down the z gang through their dreams. It just has good number of Emily's OCs in it so might be a tad confusing…enjoy. :)


	21. chapter 20: torment

You know what's weird? I get off of school for a while and think I can update more often and then take a four day break…ok so I had family over and then I decided to work on my joint fic…meh, lets have some review responses.

Reviews:

Super saiyan 4 chichi: first off, I know it was pinkish red in the series but I didn't like that colour. That and considering its ssj4 and it ties in with none of the other SSJ transformations kinda made me to change it. Plus I've heard that ssj4 was coloured wrong… either way, this version of that transformation is more of a cross between regular saiyan and oozaru in appearance so I got rid of the red fur and changed it to brown. Pretty sure I mentioned this in the chapter I had Goku transform in…  
next is about this hell thing. I'm not religious so I'm basing it on what I saw in the series. And since hell looked totally different in GT then it did in Z I decided to explain it with different levels. HFIL is an intro level and check in level and everything below is where the real torturing takes place. But the really good thing about my version is that because the demons are tied to hell, they can shape it how they want. If they want to torment their victims with fire and brimstone then they can! Anybodies version of hell can happen in mine, as long as it doesn't throw out my order and only in small sections depending on the demons power. Does that make sense?

Rejhan: glad you liked. Cell and Frieza staying in hell kinda annoyed me too. I mean its hell. Why would they want to stay there? So when planning this I thought that Frieza and Cell would prefer to break out and start a new world order with the others, knowing that Goku would be stuck in hell going through what they did. Almost like the ultimate revenge, kinda.

Psy: thanks! Most people seemed to like it. I ended up thinking of hell the most for some reason… I have a few ideas for heaven as well but I mostly did hell. And glad I caught your attention :)

Erica: um…well Trunks is kinda the same guy as Mirai Trunks…just slightly more panicky. But I sort of know what you mean. And yea, Frieza is mad. Getting sent to hell by Mirai hasn't really helped him to relax, ya know?

Son Oliver: yep, Goku's an idiot and that's what I've been building him up for. He needed to get over confident, maybe a little OOC but a power boost as strong as SSJ4 and being turned into a kid (even if for a little while) and still being the strongest in the universe would probably go to anyone's head. So I had a plan! Besides Goku being a total do gooder that is…  
but you're about to find another thing blocking Goku from getting out the normal way. And you'll have to wait and see with super 17. (Why's it always super anyway…?)

Chico: yep, Goten got dumped and now is free. And possibly a whole lot more angry…and it seems that most people liked my hell and the little meeting. Yay! But I think I'll reframe from introducing Trunks to DG…that might be a bad idea. And funny that you made that comparison: Raven is my favourite Teen titan…

Kinoha: thank you! –Bows- and here is the update!

Trugeta: I'll see what I can do but of course the fights here will be way shorter then the first time these guys fight, for obvious reasons. And looks like you're going to find out what she'll do. I've had good inspiration on that part. (Check out the soul by UnromanticPoetress. She's good for anyone who's mad at Goku and actually breaks him pretty easily…plus she's good at writing Vegeta.)

Any way, on with the story!

**Chapter 20: torment.**

Gohan faced Cell with an unfamiliar smirk on his face. Cell didn't even flinch.

"You know Gohan, I'm glad that we are doing this. I can now dish out all of the years of torment you sentenced me to by sending me to hell." The bio-android commented calmly. Gohan shook his head.

"You sentenced yourself to that Cell. I only finished you off." The demi replied. Cell growled.

"You may say that but the truth is that it's your fault! I've been stuck in the depths of hell for so long with your face mocking me! Now I'll repay you for it!" Cell cried and powered up. After occupying hell for so long violence, torture and anguish was all he knew, just like all the other hell fighters. That was why they were all tormenting the living and not escaping or hiding whilst they had a chance.

"You did it to yourself Cell. The way I remember it you were hurting my friends and dad just to make me power up and face you. You couldn't handle it when I did and therefore did it to yourself. And now it looks like you're going to make me send you back." Gohan replied coolly. Cell snarled at this.

"You were the one that sentenced me to hell and for that you'll pay!" Cell screamed and lunged straight for the demi-saiyan, his aura bursting out in golden sparks as he did so. But as Cell thrust his fist forward, Gohan moved ever so slightly to the right far too fast for the android to see. Cell stared in shock as he looked at Gohan. The now full-grown boy looked as if he had just popped into the position without even moving and now he was smirking.

"You brought this onto yourself." Gohan said confidently, before smashing his fist into Cell's face.

The android was sent flying for seemingly miles before he could even begin to slow down. When Cell finally did stop, Gohan was waiting over him with his fists laced together above his head. Gohan brought them down hard onto Cell's skull, sending the android straight down and deep into the earth where he then lay broken and battered. To Cell, there was just no way that Gohan could have gotten that powerful. It was inconceivable that the once innocent Gohan could dish out that much pain to him with out even powering it. But of course Cell didn't know about mystic…

Gohan frowned down at Cell and brought his hands calmly to his sides so that his palms were connected. A small energy ball quickly grew there.

"Kamehameha!" Gohan yelled and fired the wave directly at Cell, making a direct hit with the android and leaving a massive wound in the land. Gohan smiled as he surveyed his handy work. That first punch had hit Cell clear out of the city and now Gohan had destroyed the bio-android in record timing.

"Might have over done it a little there." Gohan thought to himself and then flew back to the others.

Trunks effortlessly dodged all of Frieza's frantic attacks. The tyrant was getting ever more fearful with every missed attack and Trunks had yet to go super.

"Hold still!" the tyrant demanded as he feinted a right hook and firing a blast from his left instead. Trunks dodged and deflected easily and then allowed Frieza to hit him hard across the jaw. Frieza's lips twisted into a triumphant smirk that was quickly washed away by the look on the demi-saiyan's face. It was one of disappointment.

"I thought you guys were supposed to be strong." He commented and Frieza started to back away in fear.

"Wh…what are you?" Frieza asked fearfully and Trunks rolled his eyes.

"I thought you knew this. You were one of the guys Goku and my dad fought, right? I would have thought you'd have known about saiyans." He commented. Frieza glared.

"Don't mock me, boy." Frieza snarled and Trunks stared at him blankly.

"Fine, it's about time I sent you back anyway."

Frieza's eyes widened at this and soon found Trunk's fist slamming into his nose. Frieza began to fall backwards but Trunks began to start punching and kicking the lizard king in every available spot on the chest and gut. Trunks then gave Frieza one final round house and bent his arm round his back, blasting Frieza from there all the way back to whence he came.

The saibamen and the Cell Juniors had caught up with the humans and now were tormenting them in anyway they could think of. Several of the saibamen had started climbing on some and pulling their hair whilst the others chased and blasted so that the humans would get even more terrified.

One saibaman was having a nice 'piggy back' ride on a human man, pulling on the man's moustache and hair, when suddenly something kicked him off and sent him flying into another saibaman. Blasts followed closely and the saibamen returned to the other world.

Goten smirked at his handy work and then turned to the Cell juniors. Each and everyone went blue in the face and began to run away but Goten quickly blasted them. He then turned to the humans.

"You guys all right?" he asked. All of the humans nodded but then seemed to pale a few shades as they spotted something behind Goten.

"What is it?" he asked, looking totally clueless before a china-white hand suddenly clamped itself onto his mouth and another arm and two legs bound him so that he couldn't move.

_What the-?_ Goten thought before a crazed, robotic voice began to speak.

"Foolish boy! You should have kept your guard up! Now your energy is mine!" the voice of android 19 proclaimed, making Goten want to sweat drop. This guy had no idea what he was getting himself into…

But Goten could already feel some of his energy slipping away…

"I'd let go if I were you!" a new voice called out and the tubby android looked up just in time to have his head literally knocked off by a foot. His body went limp and fell off of the saiyan.

"You ok?" Uub asked as he floated down onto his feet. Goten stared over at the android in shock.

"You…tried to rescue me?" Goten asked. Uub rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well…I thought I did." The human said and Goten shook his head.

"I could handle that tub of bolts. But why did you… after I… you know…?" Goten asked and Uub shrugged.

"Right thing to do I guess. Besides, you were just mad for whatever reason at the tournament. Gohan told me about it. And I forgive you." Uub replied. Goten continued to stare at Uub in surprise, making the human feel rather uncomfortable.

"Yea…well anyway we still have a lot of work to do. There are a lot of escapees to take care of." Uub quickly said and then took off. Goten watched him.

"Wait…err…thanks, I guess." Goten called and Uub gave him a thumbs up before flying off to the next danger zone. Goten watched him go.

_Guess Pan was right…I hate that._ He thought, smiling and then left for the next band of villains.

Zara felt strangely calm. She knew that she hated this guy and expected that she'd be a lot angrier if she did have to see him again but for some reason she was calm. Kyaku just sneered at her.

"You know after all of the times that I was forced to see my little failure or even different versions of it I began to think that this moment will never come but then Gero gave me exactly what I needed. Now I can take back what's rightfully mine." He said. Zara's eyes narrowed but she didn't say a word.

"But of course you won't make it easy for me, now will you?" Kyaku asked and Zara crossed her arms over her chest.

"Look you, shut up already so we can finish this. You know I won't just cross over to your side so why bother with the chitchat? Lets just get this over with." She said coolly and Kyaku laughed.

"You are truly like your parents, all business. Fine then, as you wish." He said and then rushed forward to punch Zara in the gut. Zara doubled over but then quickly brought up her head to head butt Kyaku and then spin kicked him backwards. Kyaku quickly recovered and just in time for Zara to punch him across the jaw and blast him backwards.

He laughed as he wiped away some blood from his lip.

"Your technique has improved as has your strength." He commented. Zara didn't answer him and continued her attack with several swipes to his head. Kyaku dodged most but ended up being hit across the jaw and on the nose.

"But there is something that seems to have regressed. I sense that your mental shields aren't as strong as last time we met. You haven't been getting enough focus on them." He noted and Zara kneed him in the chest.

"They're strong enough." She said coolly but Kyaku disagreed.

"Really? Strange, if that were true then Bebi never would have gotten you. I heard what happened." He informed her Zara floated back and he continued.

"How do you expect to even get close to your true potential if you don't train that aspect as well? That's where your powers lie. It looks like you really do need me, not just to release what's hidden from you but also to show you how to use it."

Zara growled at him and clenched her fists.

"Right, and the price for that will be what? My friends' lives? No way, I can handle it by myself!" she exclaimed and disappeared from view. Kyaku sneered but that was quickly replaced with a pained look when Zara appeared in front of him with her foot glowing brightly with energy that sliced right through him. Zara narrowed her eyes and swung her foot round to slice him five more times before blasting him away.

"You're the last person I need help from." She muttered and then went out to find the others.

Vegeta wondered the streets of a panic bound West city. He had met up and then parted ways with his daughter and Pan, allowing them to go off and help Hercule to go and kill some of the red ribbon members. Now he was trying to find some of the stronger escapees to fight but judging by his senses they had already ran into Gohan and the others.

_Typical._ He thought, slightly disappointed that he didn't get to blast Frieza back to hell.

Vegeta found himself having to stop as a blast came soaring out of an alleyway. It exploded as it impacted a car and left all of the nearby people to run away in fear. Vegeta stared at the car and then turned his gaze back to the large figure walking out of the alley.

Vegeta's mouth twitched as he stared closely at his former lackey and guardian, the saiyan general Nappa.

Nappa sneered at the car and didn't even notice the other saiyan until the prince coughed loudly and purposefully. This startled the general and he quickly turned round to see his prince.

"P-prince V-Vegeta." He stammered and then quickly recovered.

"Yes, Nappa, its me. And it seems that you haven't changed much since going to hell." Vegeta commented as he eyed the burning car. Nappa glanced at the car again and then looked back at Vegeta.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Vegeta, thought you'd be somewhere else taking over from Frieza, unless the rumours are true…" Nappa said, either ignoring or not realising what Vegeta had said.

"And what would these rumours be?" Vegeta asked. Nappa folded his arms casually across his chest.

"That you had settled down with a weakling human and had gotten soft. But of course I never believed that. Those rumours had to have been someone's idea of a bad joke." Nappa replied and laughed. Vegeta's eyes narrowed.

"I have settled down and with a human onna." He said bluntly, making Nappa gasp but he wasn't done.

"But if that is considered going soft, as well as reaching the pinnacle of a saiyan's power," he transformed into a super saiyan, "means that I am 'soft' then I'd have to disagree."

Nappa nearly fell backwards as he took in Vegeta's transformation.

"Wow, Vegeta! This is amazing! You should come join us! This power would be a huge help for when we take over this world! Come on, what do ya say?" Nappa asked. Vegeta smirked.

"As I said, you haven't changed. But I have so I'm going to have to send you back now. No hard feelings." Vegeta said calmly. Nappa went bug eyed as he stared at Vegeta.

"What? Not again…!" he started but Vegeta blasted him away.

"Shame, I wanted more of a challenge." Vegeta muttered as clapping reached his ears. The prince turned his head only slightly to get a good look at the three figures on the rooftop on the other side of the street. It was Gero, Myuu and artificial 17.

"Very well done Vegeta," Gero begun, " you just proved that you haven't grown as soft as people like to believe. How about we now give you a proper challenge to make up for that weak saiyan?"

Vegeta stared calmly at each of the men and powered back down to his normal form.

"You'll give me a challenge? Don't make me laugh. You were not even worth my breath the last time we met. Now I have far surpassed the level I was at then so what makes you so sure that you'll be a challenge now, old man?" he asked. Gero smirked.

"Not me. I have something new that will put you in your place. I am just waiting for the last components. Then artificial 17 here will be the strongest being in the universe. You can entertain yourself with him in the mean time but if you destroy him then you will never get the challenge that your saiyan nature craves." The doctor explained, earning a questioning glance from Myuu. Vegeta smirked.

"I doubt that. Your androids don't pack the same punch as they used to. But I may as well play along with your little delusion. It may amuse me." He replied. Gero smirked back.

"It is refreshing to see that you haven't changed all that much, Vegeta." Gero commented and then signalled artificial 17 to go forward. The android did as he was told and jumped down from the building to face Vegeta properly. Vegeta swept his eyes down his opponent and then smirked.

"Impressive. I didn't think that it was that easy to get parts where you were." He commented. Gero smirked proudly down on his creation and then the fight began.

Goku frowned as he stared at the smiling face of his tormentor.

"What are you going to do?" he asked as he watched DG. She took to the air and then descended down on a nearby rock formation that quickly turned into a large leather armchair.

"Oh, anything I can think of really. Normally I do mental and physical torture, mental being my specialty. For most of my charges I just need to show you destroying them in a million different ways. Others I just need to dangle their goals in arms reach but they can never achieve them. Then for people like Frieza I just have to strip away their powers and have rebellion pursue them. Having the saiyans get rid of Frieza that way was especially entertaining." She explained. Goku continued to watch her closely.

"What are you going to do?" he repeated and in answer the demon girl smiled sickly sweet at him.

"Well let's see, shall we?" she asked. And Goku's vision went black.

At first nothing happened and Goku doubted that DG was being serious about the torture part but then her voice filled his head.

"_Oh, this will be good. Probably too easy as well…_" she commented and then his vision cleared up but he wasn't in hell.

Instead of the dark sky and spiked rock formations were a clear blue sky and his home. Gohan and Goten were standing in the front garden along with the rest of Goku's family.

_Didn't they leave?_ Goku asked himself and then noticed some figures coming towards the group in the air. Gohan was the first to spot them and went to meet them along with Goten. They were Bebi and the machine mutants that Goku had taken out during his little space mission, including general Rilldo – a mutant that had a power over metal.

"_Now pay close attention, you're about to find out how unprepared your little friends are_."

Goku looked confused and continued to watch, unable to pull away.

_But they are prepared…they've been training…_ he thought. Laughter filled his head.

"_Yes but to what results? Only Vegeta has reached level three, the others are all on level two and your youngest son only managed to go to the third level once because he was angry. Furious even. They aren't ready. Just watch and see_." DG's voice taunted in his head and Goku complied.

Gohan charged Rilldo in mystic form and swiped at the general's head. Rilldo ducked under the swipe and vanished from view, appearing behind Gohan and firing a blast at the scholar's back. Gohan turned round just in time to watch it come sailing towards him. His eyes widened as he was hit and rapidly his skin turned to metal, encasing him in a metallic prison.

"NO! Gohan!" Goku cried but could only watch helplessly as his eldest son fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces.

"_Gohan was the most experienced and the strongest of the younger fighters and he still doesn't stand a chance against your old enemies_." DG's voice commented and Goku was then forced to stare at his youngest son, Goten.

"_If Gohan doesn't stand a chance then how much do you think he does? Or the others for that matter? With you gone they're as good as dead._" DG commented as Goten attacked Rilldo.

The general laughed and moved a side just as Bebi shot forwards in liquid form, hitting Goten's face hard and pouring into his mouth and any other possible way in. Goten began to shake and quiver in the air for a long moment before he finally began to laugh and the last image Goku saw from this scene was the house and surrounding land exploding, flames licking the blackening sky.

"_Maybe if you stuck with the idea of passing the role of earth's hero then maybe you could have prepared them all better and this could have been averted_."

The scene changed to high above West city. Kyaku, Cell and Frieza were all flying far above when Uub, Trunks and Zara appeared to meet them. Each of the warriors paired off to begin facing each other.

Zara was fighting Kyaku. She threw punch after punch at the warlord but he dodged everyone. He ducked under her final punch and grabbed her by the throat. Zara tried to break free but was unable to, clearly unable to breath. Kyaku laughed madly and then brought her up close so that his forehead was against hers. He sneered and a moment later it looked like she was being forced to power up, her eyes glowing a blood red and her violent red aura ripping up the landscape below as she continued to scream in pain.

Trunks halted his fight with Cell as he noticed this happening.

"Zara!" he yelled and quickly flung himself towards them to save the girl but suddenly it were as if he slammed into a brick wall. Trunks couldn't get any closer to them and the next thing he knew, a searing pain course through his head and Goku was forced to watch as the young prince convulsed under the mental attack and was then sent plummeting to the ground, blood streaming from his eyes as his breathing ceased.

"Trunks!" Goku called and then spotted Uub being held tightly by Frieza as Cell continuously drove his fist into the young human's gut.

"_Then again the last time you tried to give them the chance to be the hero you messed it up. You have a problem with making bad choices._"

The scene changed again and this time he was on a cliff staring down at a fight. Beside him were the rest of the Z fighters: Piccolo, Tien, Vegeta, Mirai Trunks, Krillen and Yamcha and then someone who wasn't a member of the Z gang, a brown haired woman with blue eyes that wore a slightly amused look. Everyone else looked horrified at what was going on below.

Goku then turned to get a good look at the fight. An eleven-year-old Gohan was facing Cell. Cell fired several beams from his finger that Gohan dodged but after he dodged the last one, Cell appeared behind him and wrapped him up in a tight bear hug. He then began to squeeze and it was obvious that the boy was in incredible pain.

Pain from an android that Goku had given a senzu bean to.

Pain from the android that Goku had made Gohan then fight.

"You're wrong Goku!" it was Piccolo. Goku looked round at the Namek to stare at the angry green face in front of him.

"Gohan doesn't like fighting like you! Does he know what you expect him to become? Did you tell him any of this? Do you know what he is thinking right now? I'll tell you! He's wondering why his father is just looking on while he's suffering. He must be hurt to realize that you're more concerned about the fight rather than his life. Remember this! Even if he is the strongest fighter, he's still just a child!"

Goku could only stare in disbelief as those words sunk in. he had nearly forgotten this…

"_You seem to make a lot of bad choices when it comes to your family. All you seem to do is hurt them and nearly always because you fight or train or because that is all you want to care about. _"

The scene changed again and this time he was watching himself with Chichi three years before the cell games.

"So you're saying that you stayed in space for so long because you wanted to learn a new technique?" she asked. She was sitting in a dinning room chair with her back to her husband. Goku could clearly see some tears in her eyes that he missed before.

"Yea Chichi…it was important." The other Goku admitted, with a hint of guilt in his voice. Goku watched the younger version of his wife wipe away a tear as she stifled a sob.

"Oh…I understand I just didn't know if you were alive…or…dead or injured. You just refused to come back. I didn't know what to think…" she said quietly and wiped away another tear. The other Goku sighed and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Chichi, but it was really important." He said again. Chichi wiped her eyes and then gave him a strained smile.

"Its ok, you're here now. You better hurry, Piccolo and Gohan are waiting for you." She said softly. Goku nodded and made his way to the door.

"Just, Goku, please don't let anything happen to Gohan. He nearly died, twice, and I couldn't bear it if it happened again." She told her husband, her eyes pleading with him. He nodded.

"I promise Chichi." He said and left. Chichi watched the door carefully as she allowed her tears to fall freely down her face.

"_A promise you broke._" the voice mocked and the scene changed again, this time to eleven years ago when he left with Uub at the budokai.

"So you're just leaving?" Chichi asked from her spot in the box room. All of the others that weren't competing seemed shocked by what he had just said so casually.

"But you can't…what about us?" she asked, a mixture of surprise, anger and sadness filled her voice. He hadn't been caring or considerate that day, he had just told his family what he was going to do and waved off all of what they had to say.

He waved it off.

"Don't worry Chi, we'll work something out later. I just have to do this." He said with that large grin on his face, not paying attention to how his wife felt.

"But Goku…" but he had already floated down to the others where he told them the same thing, that he was leaving with a perfect stranger and that he didn't know when he'll be back.

A four-year-old Pan leapt into his arms, crying and he felt the first pangs of guilt.

"Don't go, grandpa!" Pan pleaded, burying herself deep into his gi.

"I'm sorry Pan but I have to. But I'll come and visit as often as I can!" he grinned at his granddaughter who continued to burry herself in his gi.

"_Another promise you broke._"

He looked up at a scowling Goten.

"Why do you have to go? I mean you were only here for a small part of my life and now you're leaving? And for what? Someone you just met?" Goten glared at Uub who was still waiting in the ring.

"_You break apart your family…_"

"I'm sorry Goten but its something I have to do…"And then Goku's vision went black again and a few moments later he found himself kneeling on the hard, rocky floor of hell with his hands digging into the ground.

DG was standing over him smugly as she watched Goku's reactions to her little 'memory slide show'. Goku was just staring blankly at the ground as all he saw sunk in. He was shaking.

_And that was only a small amount of what I have in store for him. Maybe I should move further into his pathetic family life next and see what that does to him…_she thought, her lips moving into a twisted smirk.

"Ahhhh!" the battle cry rang out and DG looked up in surprise just to have a foot kick her in the face and send her flying. The foot belonged to a green man that wore white flowing robes and a weighted hat that had a long cloth wrapped round the bottom that flowed down his back.

He landed gracefully in front of Goku along with a human man that wore Greek clothing and had long, curled blonde hair.

"Olibu, check on Goku!" the green man ordered.

"Right away, Pikkon!" Olibu nodded and went to the saiyan's side.

DG threw a rock off of her and shot into the air. She glared down at the two dead warriors and made two large fireballs in her hands.

"How dare you! Do you know what you are dealing with?" she screamed but Pikkon smirked as he pulled out a piece of parchment. DG went as white as a ghost when she saw it.

"I believe I do. King Yemma informed us when he gave us these passes." Pikkon explained and then disappeared. He appeared again in front of the demon and axe kicked her down, into the midst of the frozen demons and ogres. DG moaned as she sat up and then spotted Pikkon over by a large machine. He pressed a button and a small tube turned to point at her.

"No! Don't-" she started but Pikkon had already pressed the button. The machine sprung to life and shot out a cloud of something white that hit DG directly. As the white cloud faded away, she became frozen solid and encased in ice.

"Go cool off for a while." Pikkon said and then flew back to Olibu and Goku.

"How's he doing?" he called as he approached. Olibu stared at Pikkon and shook his head.

"Not good. It's a good thing we got here when we did." Olibu commented and then turned back to Goku and shook him.

"Come on, snap out of it!" the warrior exclaimed but Goku didn't do anything. Olibu sighed and then remembered something.

"Hey Pikkon, have you got that crystal ball king Yemma gave us?" he asked. The green man nodded and tossed the ball to Olibu after fishing it out of his robes.

Olibu placed it in front of Goku and did what was needed for a picture to appear in the centre.

"Come on Goku, focus. Look what's happening down on earth." Olibu gently told the saiyan whose eyes slowly focused on the ball.

On earth the Z warriors were gathering together. After defeating the hell fighters they had paired off with they had gone about exterminating all others that they found and now they were above the centre of West city.

"Hey guys, looks like things are quieting down." Goten called as he met up with the others.

"Yea, I guess we've sorted out most of them." Trunks called as he floated over to Goten. The others were all coming in from other directions.

"I don't know, I think they've finally regained their wits and are moving out. No way could that have been all of them." Zara commented as she approached.

"Its not. I think they're all going somewhere." Gohan informed and pointed over to a group of henchmen that once belonged to Frieza that were all going further west.

"Where are they going?" Goten asked as he watched.

"I dunno, to Gero maybe? He's the one orchestrating this, right?" Gohan commented thoughtfully, "Maybe we should find the others and then go see."

"Don't bother, we're here!" Pan's voice called out and everyone turned round to see Pan, Bra and Uub flying towards them.

"Well that saves us a trip. Now where's Vegeta? Shouldn't he be out here?" Goten commented as the others joined them. Zara was the one to answer as she stared off to the west.

"Well I can sense him over there fighting…no one? That can't be right…" she muttered and the others turned to the same direction.

"He must be fighting an android. And not properly either. Guess he got bored." Gohan decided.

"Well we better go get him. Dad can't mess around with it all day." Trunks sighed and then lead the way to his father, blasting the hell fighters below along with the rest of the group.

Goku stared at the scene through the crystal ball and slowly snapped out of his stupor.

"They're alright." _I still have time._ He thought and then peered up at the two warriors above him.

"Looks like he's returning to us." Olibu commented and Pikkon nodded. Goku gave them both a confused glance.

"Yea…how come you guys are here?" he asked. The two dead warriors exchanged a glance.

"Not all that long ago all of the feeds through the crystal balls monitoring this place just blanked out. No one knew what was happening in hell. Some of the ogres in charge of surveillance alerted king Yemma who told the Grand kai who sent us here to check it out." Pikkon explained. Goku nodded.

"Ok, that makes sense I guess. But how come you beat that little demon so easily? I couldn't even touch her!" he asked.

"Simple. Grand kai gave us magical passes that stop hell from feeding off of us and gets rid of any demons power over us. She could only beat you down here because she's linked to hell. She can't die unless hell is destroyed, just like all of the other demons down here." Olibu explained.

"Well that seems kinda silly…those demons have so much power and they can't even die, why would the kais give them so much power?" Goku asked, his head racing.

"They didn't. They made hell to punish all the bad and evil souls and the demons were just a side effect, just as the angels were in heaven. The demons were evil but the kais decided to let them keep their powers as long as they take the role of the punishers. That and they're only so strong here in this level. Anywhere else and they'd become weaker and quickly die. Of course that doesn't mean that they won't be dangerous if they ever got out of hell." Pikkon explained. Goku nodded slowly, not completely understanding but that didn't really matter, hell wasn't supposed to make sense as far as he knew. Besides, he had more important things to worry about.

"So how do you plan on getting me out of here?" Goku asked. The two warriors exchanged nervous glances.

"Well…" Olibu began.

"Its not simple. In fact next to impossible. We don't even know how the hellions broke out so we can't get you out that way and then I don't think there is any other way out for you." Pikkon finished.

"But what about the staircase up to Yemma's desk? Or those passes?" Goku asked, frantic now. He had to go save his friends…

"We didn't know you were down here or else we would have brought a third pass for you so you can't get out that way and then there's the barrier…" Olibu said calmly. Goku raised a brow.

"What barrier?" he asked.

"The barrier that stops the demons from getting out and anything living from getting past." Pikkon explained. Goku rubbed his temples.

"Wait, what?" he asked. The dead warriors exchanged another glance and Pikkon was then forced to answer.

"There are living things around here that may fall into hell. Like angels. A millennia ago a little angel girl lost one of her charges in heaven and went to look for him and some how she fell through the yellow clouds underneath snake way. She ended up in the home for infinite losers. She explored a little and eventually ended up being chased by some angry sprit into a pointed rock formation, the area around the portal leading to this level of hell and the demons. At the time the barrier there only prevented the demons from getting out, not from keeping the living from going in so the angel ended up here. The demons torture and punish anything that comes down here, splitting the work evenly. When they saw the angel they mistook her for a new soul to torture. By the time the ogres found her she had gone crazy and was beyond being reached. The living doesn't have as high a tolerance for the punishment as the dead so that is why the barrier was made to keep the living out. To prevent any other undeserving creature to come down here and get punished." The green warrior explained.

"But of course that didn't really work in your case." Olibu added. Goku, oddly enough, wasn't comforted by this little joke.

"So…you're saying there is no way for me to get back to earth and save my friends?" he asked, staring blankly ahead.

"Sorry Goku…" Olibu said, genuinely sorry.

Goku felt completely defeated as he sunk to his knees.

* * *

A/N: and I'm done. I know the fights probably seemed pretty short but the guys have gotten a lot stronger then these old enemies. And since it's a known fact (hopefully) that you can't get stronger in hell then Cell, Frieza and co wouldn't of stood a chance. But hopefully you got some kick out of seeing them get defeated again.

So that's my little Goku torture done with. And now it looks like he really is trapped in hell. Plus we're getting closer to seeing super 17 coming into being. So check out my next update, hopefully tomorrow if I can stop my brother hogging the computer and/or driving me insane. Ja'ne.


	22. chapter 21: encounter

Moving review responses to the end of the chapter.

Sorry for not updating when I said I would, my brother did hog the computer and then San Andreas came out…first time I have gotten into a GTA game and it had to be the one full of rap…anyway, here's the update.

**Chapter 21: encounter**

Marron bit her lip as she stared out of the window at all of the cars and furious or panicked drivers.

"Thanks for the lift and all dad, but I think I should have just walked." She said slowly, trying to ignore the comments being thrown around outside.

"Its not safe enough to walk. Besides, this isn't so bad." Krillen replied from the driver's seat of the small car. Marron had somewhere along the line been talked into going on a shopping trip with her parents. When the panic had broken out over the hole in the sky, they had offered her a lift back to her apartment. Now they had gotten caught in the traffic created by the mass panicking that the hole had caused.

"Could have flown. That is much faster." 18 stated calmly as she watched the traffic on her side of the car.

"I don't really like flying that much." Marron confessed and sighed. This was going to be a long wait.

"What's going on up there?" Krillen asked, breaking the silence that had fallen as he strained to see what was happening above them. The two women tried to do the same.

Far above them, a trio of escapees seemed to be having an argument. It was Frieza's two former lackeys, Zarbon and Dodoria and a saiyan that looked strangely a lot like Goku, Bardock. As their argument heated up, it looked like they were going to enter a battle when a new figure joined them, trying to get past. Zarbon and Dodoria refused him passage and turned back to Bardock.

By now 18 was staring hard at the newcomer.

"That looks like 17." She muttered and watched as her brother blasted the three blocking his way into oblivion. 18 jumped out of the car.

"17!" she yelled just before he took off. Her twin peered down at her before raising his palm towards her car.

18's eyes widened as the blast formed and she had to act quickly to pull her daughter out of the car as the blast sailed towards it. As the car exploded, 18 floated above it holding onto her daughter.

"Krillen?" she called and coughing reached her ears.

"Don't worry about me, I got out. But I'm getting too old for this." Krillen called back. As the smoke died down, he could be seen across from his wife and daughter.

18 smiled at her husband before turning round and frowning at her brother.

"What the hell was that for?" she yelled, her anger steadily rising. He could have killed Marron! Or even Krillen! After all, the human warrior wasn't as spry as he used to be.

"Don't have time…must…find Gero…gotta…" 17 muttered and started to turn round to leave, continuing his muttering.

"17!" 18 called again and flew up to her brother after setting her daughter down on the roof of a car.

18 stopped in front of her brother and stared at him. He wasn't looking so good. His hair was all over the place and his eyes were red and hollow, completely emotionless.

"Are you…what's wrong with you?" 18 asked softly and 17 raised his palm in response.

"Move…need to find…Gero." He muttered again and a blue blast lit up in his hand. 18 didn't move.

"Why do you have to find Gero? I thought you were free of him! You don't have to listen to him anymore!" Krillen called up from the ground. 17's wild eyes quickly darted to the old warrior.

"Shut up!" he yelled and moved the blast to Krillen.

"17! Don't!" 18 said firmly but her twin didn't listen. He continued to point the blast at Krillen. The little warrior swallowed hard and then decided to continue.

"You don't need to listen to him anymore. Gero has no power over you. You proved that when you killed him. Just calm down." He explained softly. 17 growled and the blast got larger.

"You don't understand! So shut up!" the cyborg yelled and lost his hold on the blast. The ball sailed right towards Krillen and the human didn't have enough time to come up with a decent defence. The blast hit his chest and he was sent flying into his wrecked car.

Marron screamed as she watched her father go limp on the twisted scrap metal that used to be their car. 18 went wide-eyed as she stared breathlessly at her husband and 17 didn't do a thing. Marron was the one who ventured over to her father to check on him.

She looked over her father almost fearfully and then noticed the blood. It was seeping out of his back and at a closer inspection she realised what had happened.

The car's roof had been partially disintegrated leaving the metal sticking up in a sharp point.

It was this that Krillen had landed on thanks to his brother in law's blast.

"Oh Kami…" Marron chocked out as she realised what had happened. She didn't have clue as to what to do.

18 could only stare as she sensed the remains of her husband's ki slowly slip away.

"Krillen…" she muttered and then saw her brother moving his palm towards Marron. 18 reacted on instinct and tackled her brother, pushing him away from Marron roughly.

"Marron! Get out of here!" 18 yelled. Marron didn't have to be told twice as she ran between the cars to get a good distance away from her uncle and mother.

18 turned back to her brother who was glaring at her fiercely.

"I didn't want to do this." He muttered and 18 glared back.

"Well you shouldn't have killed my husband!" she yelled and charged at her brother she hit him hard across the jaw but on her second attack, he moved out of the way just in time and blasted his sister through the shoulder. 18 screamed in pain and fell to the floor leaving her brother to stare down at her before taking off and resuming his search for Gero.

Marron continued to run, her mind a total blur. She didn't notice how long she ran for or where she was going until she hit a wall of muscle. She screamed when she hit it, assuming that it was her crazed uncle, and got ready for any sort of blow. It never came.

"Hey, calm down Mar. it's just me." A calm voice said in a friendly tone and Marron looked up from the white shirt to see Goten's puzzled face staring down at her.

"Oh Goten…" she muttered and hugged him tightly, her mind still a blur. She didn't even realise that the other warriors were floating above her.

"What are the chances that we can get away with calling her his girlfriend?" Zara's voice met Marron's ears and she looked up to see Trunks, Zara, Pan, Bra, Uub and Gohan all with amused looks on their faces as they watched the couple. Marron then noticed how shocked Goten was and shakily stepped back.

It was at this point that the group of warriors realised how shaken up the poor girl was.

"What happened?" Goten asked softly and Marron's head filled itself with an image of her father on the hood of his wrecked car. She whimpered and a moment later Goten found himself holding onto her again.

"He killed him…right in front of me…" Marron muttered softly. It took a while for everyone to work out her meaning.

"Krillen…" Gohan muttered in shock and Marron nodded, giving out a small sob.

"Who…" Trunks began but decided it might be too hard on her to start asking questions.

"Uncle 17." Marron answered the unfinished question and Goten gave her a light squeeze. The others all turned to each other to start a discussion.

"That doesn't make sense. Why would 17 kill Krillen?" Gohan asked.

"Maybe he was in the way?" Zara pointed out logically.

"Or maybe it was the crazy? He looked pretty out of it when I saw him before." Trunks added. Gohan nodded thoughtfully.

"Maybe…" he started.

"Should we really be trying to work out why? Shouldn't we be trying to track him down instead?" Bra interrupted and the others all agreed.

"Ok then, where's he going?" Goten asked as he stared up at the others.

"Gero…" Marron muttered and everyone stared at her. Marron looked back up at everyone else.

"He kept talking about Gero. 'Must get to Gero' its all he could really think of." Marron explained. The others all glanced at each other again.

"Guess you were right Gohan. They were all going to Gero." Goten commented.

"And it looks like we were going to the right place too. That's all the androids except for Gero. Well except for 16 but I doubt he went to hell." Gohan added.

"Yea, 17 is going to Gero, Uub killed 19 and 18 is on our side. That leaves who ever Vegeta is fighting so it must be Gero." Zara ticked off on her hands as she remembered what she had been told about the androids. The others nodded and it was agreed that they'd keep going towards Vegeta as soon as Marron was sent to somewhere safe.

Goten looked down at Marron.

"Hey, I promise we'll make all of this right again." He assured her then looked up to Zara, "you mind teleporting us there?" he asked and she nodded in response.

"Goten, guys, thanks. For everything." Marron said before Zara rested both hands on Goten and Marron's shoulders and then disappeared. A few moments later, Goten and Zara reappeared and the group set off once more.

Dende paced the lookout anxiously as he watched everything below.

"It looks like everything is getting cleaned up thanks to the z warriors." He commented and then turned towards Piccolo.

"Just wish there was something I could do. I hate being so useless." The young Kami continued. Piccolo gave him a stern look.

"I know but they'll handle everything on earth. Now be quiet, I think I nearly have him." The older Namek replied and then returned to his meditative stance. He had been trying to contact Goku in hell ever since the sky closed up again but for some reason he was finding it more difficult then it should have been. Piccolo had brushed it off as him being rusty and had continued to try. Now he thought that he had finally found the saiyan.

_"Goku! Can you hear me?"_ Piccolo asked telepathically and up in hell Goku's head snapped up.

"Piccolo?" he asked, forgetting a little about his small depression. The two dead warriors looked at their companion as if he had completely snapped but then they heard the voice for themselves.

_"Yes Goku, its me."_ The Namek replied in relief. He had finally found the allusive saiyan.

"Alright, great to hear from you! What's going on?" Goku asked almost casually. Piccolo smiled at this, it was the same old Goku.

_"Just complete chaos down on earth but its being defused as we speak. I'm more concerned about you. We've noticed that you're rather stuck right now."_ Piccolo replied. Goku's mask twitched at this and he mentally sighed in relief.

"Well yea, kind of." The saiyan replied. And Piccolo smirked.

_"Well I have some good news. Mr Popo and Dende have been doing some research here along side the ogres in other world and they think that they have discovered how to make the rift the escaped hell fighters left through."_ He explained and Goku felt like cheering.

"That's great Piccolo! How do I escape?" he asked eagerly and the Namek hesitated.

_"Well there are a few things first though. We aren't sure how long the rift will stay open for and king Yemma isn't very fond of the idea of us making another rift in hell. He's worried that it'll stay open for too long and allow the hellions to escape again or that it may weaken hell and allow the demons to escape."_ Piccolo informed Goku listened carefully and wore his rare serious face.

"It won't cause any problems. If anyone else escapes then I'll send them right back again. And the demons will have to be de-frosted first so don't worry about it. Just tell me what to do!" he replied a little too firmly. Olibu and Pikkon gave each other a concerned glance whilst Piccolo knotted his brow in worry.

_"As you wish, but Goku…are you sure you are ok?"_ Piccolo asked. Goku looked surprised by the question.

"Yea, why?" he asked in confusion and the Namek decided to leave it.

_"Never mind. What you need to do to create a rift is to exchange energy through the barriers of hell with a person on the planet you want the rift to open up in. so in this case it will have to be me. But as we aren't sure how long it will stay open, it would probably help if you had someone there with you-"_

"No problem. Pikkon or Olibu can exchange energy with you." Goku interrupted and looked at the two dead warriors that were standing around awkwardly.

_"Who?"_ Piccolo asked in confusion but Goku wasn't listening. Instead he had turned to his friends.

"So who wants to help out?" he asked with his famous grin in place. The two dead warriors exchanged a glance and then Pikkon stepped forward.

"I'll do it." He said and Goku grinned wider.

"Great," he started before turning back to his conversation with Piccolo, "so you'll exchange energy with Pikkon and the rift will open and I can go save the others. Perfect. Lets get started then!"

Piccolo had no clue as to what was going on but decided to just play along.

_"Ok then…to make the rift I need to be in perfect synchronisation with…Pikkon. We can't even have a second error in our little exchange. We need to take the energy at the same time. It even needs to be at the same frequency and amount. If one of us is stronger then the other then the barriers will shift to compensate and it will fail, do you understand?"_ he asked. Pikkon allowed the information to sink in.

"Yes. But this sounds like it will be hard to judge." He commented.

_"Exactly, so it may take awhile. Shall we begin?"_ Piccolo replied calmly. Pikkon agreed and stood in a stance with his legs shoulder length apart and his hands balled into fists at his side. Goku and Olibu both backed away a good distance to watch. On earth Piccolo sunk into a similar stance to Pikkon's and waited for Dende to start the countdown.

_"Ok, both of you better get ready. On the count of three you should both start exchanging your ki through the barriers of hell, ok? One…two…THREE!"_ the guardian cried and both of the warriors began to power up, signalling the start of the exchange. Olibu and Goku watched the floor in front of Pikkon carefully and began to grin as the floor began to waver in and out of sight before finally…

…It became a solid mass again. Goku's face dropped as he watched the floor grow solid and felt Olibu's hand fall onto his shoulder.

"Don't worry my friend. That was only the first attempt. You're friend did say that it could take a while." The dead warrior said reassuringly and Goku perked up a bit, waiting for Pikkon to adjust his ki to Piccolo's suggestions and to start again.

Vegeta smirked at Artificial 17. The android was giving him a good workout but Vegeta was still only testing the android, despite that.

17 watched his opponent from his spot on a roof. Vegeta was floating smugly above him after sending the android through the centre of the building that 17 had just flown out of and was now standing on.

He wore no emotion on his face that would give Vegeta any pleasure. Of course Vegeta didn't take the same exact pleasure from the battles as he used to. He didn't enjoy harming people just to hear their screams and to enjoy the pained looks on his victims' faces anymore. He was past that part of his life so maybe it wouldn't have mattered if artificial 17 did have a pained look on his face or not.

"Are you just going to cower there on the roof top all day or do you plan on attacking any time soon?" Vegeta arrogantly asked and the android's eyes narrowed into a glare before it disappeared. Vegeta smirked before raising his elbow to hit the android directly on the nose before continuing by spinning round and kneeing his opponent in the gut and the blasting it into another building. Vegeta scoffed down at the android that was now buried in rubble.

"This is pitiful. I'm getting awfully tempted to just blast you away." He commented to the android whilst looking at the two doctors that floated high above them. Myuu was looking anxious whilst Gero was perfectly calm.

"The final components will be here soon Vegeta. Then you will receive a true challenge." The android doctor stated equally as calmly as his demeanour. Myuu gave Gero a questioning look whilst Vegeta smirked up at the doctors before Artificial 17 attacked again.

The android appeared before Vegeta, swinging his fist round to hit the saiyan on the jaw but the speedy saiyan prince ducked under and came back up with a strong punch to the androids chest, sending him right back through the wall. Vegeta then turned back to the doctors.

"You better pray that they do come soon or else your toy will get severally broken." Vegeta announced coolly.

As if on queue, 17 then burst onto the scene in a blur of blue energy. His wild eyes quickly scanned the area before settling on Gero, where they then stayed.

17 hadn't even been there for 5 seconds when the rest of the z warriors came soaring in. Each of them lined up on either side of Vegeta and watched the scene carefully, Zara, Trunks and Bra on Vegeta's right and Pan, Gohan, Goten and Uub on his left.

"Great, looks like we got here just in time for a party. What's going on?" Goten asked, wearing his father's battle smile. Vegeta smirked at the boy and the others.

"The doctors here seem to think that they have created something that will put all of us in our places. But so far he's failed to deliver." Vegeta informed. Gohan sweat dropped at this.

"You do know that so far when ever someone offers you a challenge, Vegeta, you along with the rest of us get beaten up, right?" he asked and Vegeta shot the hybrid a glare.

"You should listen to him, Vegeta, he has a valid point." Gero snickered before turning to the suspended 17. Artificial 17 then chose that moment to burst out of the wall and float next to his counter part. This caught all of the others by surprise and they could do nothing but stare. They didn't have enough time to figure out why there were two 17s.

"17 and Artificial 17! Now is your chance! Join together now and defeat these so called heroes!" Gero then commanded. Artificial glanced at Myuu quickly before starting to glow a bright white. Regular 17 backed away from his glowing counter part, almost mistaking it as another hallucination until he heard Gero's voice.

"17! If you value your sanity then you will bind with artificial 17! It will give back all that was stolen from you!" the doctor announced and as the z fighters tried to work out his meaning, 17 took on a serious look and quickly grabbed the hand of his counter part.

The bright, white hot light engulfed him too and then the two glowing 17s seemed to come together, both forms of white hot energy combining to make one, slightly larger figure that quickly became solid as the energy faded. What was left made the others gasp.

The now solo 17 was more muscular then both of his counter parts. His hair had grown out, leaving several strands to fall across the centre of his forehead. His eyes still had the wild quality that regular 17's had held. And finally he held an air of power that told all of the other warriors that if they could sense his power level then it would be off the charts.

Doctor Gero sneered.

"I'd like you all to meet super 17." He announced proudly but this was met by a scoff from the prince of all saiyans.

"Super 17? What kind of a joke is this? He looks like a damn biker hippie." Vegeta sneered. The other z fighters all shot him a look saying 'don't underestimate him' but Vegeta ignored them and focused on Gero.

"You think so, huh Vegeta? Well that doesn't mean that he's weak. I'll give you a demonstration of his power before he destroys you! Super 17, attack them!" Gero yelled but 17 didn't listen. Instead he looked to Myuu for instructions. Gero stared at 17 in surprise.

"Super 17! I said attack!" Gero said more frantic now and Myuu began to laugh. Everyone turned to give Myuu a confused glance and slowly the alien scientist calmed down.

"He won't listen to you, Gero. I have made sure of this." Myuu finally said after he finally calmed down.

"What are you talking about?" Gero snapped and Myuu chuckled again.

"You maybe a great inventor, Gero, but that doesn't mean that you're not an idiot." Myuu explained and still Gero didn't understand.

"You were so preoccupied with celebrating your little victory that you didn't notice my changes to the programming. You had a chip installed that left artificial 17, and there go super 17, only able to follow your commands. You were going to destroy all of the hell fighters and everyone else using 17 and start your own order, completely protected from any meddling partners or heroes." Myuu continued and began to circle the earthen doctor. Gero stiffened under Myuu's gaze.

"I know nothing of this." Gero said calmly but Myuu continued.

"Yes you do. I found the chip and rewrote the programming. 17 only listens to me now."

Gero's eyes widened as he turned to stare at Myuu.

"Traitor!" he exclaimed and Myuu nodded coolly.

"Yes, well I have to look out for myself now don't I. Now super 17, destroy Gero." Myuu called, glancing at the cyborg. 17 raised his arm and a split second later Gero was reduced to a flaming pile of ash.

Myuu grinned psychotically and turned to the glaring z warriors.

"Well now that that little drama is over with, how about we deal with this one? Super 17, get rid of these pests!" he ordered and super 17 turned to the group of warriors.

"Fine then, we'll battle! But don't get upset when I tear apart your toy!" Vegeta exclaimed and took off before the others could stop him.

The mighty prince started throwing as many punches as he could as soon as he reached the cyborg. 17 looked as if he stayed completely still as Vegeta attempted to hit him but all of the attacks missed.

Vegeta growled as he backed away and burst into his level three super saiyan transformation, his hair instantly growing down to his knees and his eyes turning teal. He then lunged forward again and this time was able to see the cyborg move at an incredible speed to grab the prince's punch and then throw one of his own into the saiyan's chest, winding him. 17 then followed through with a hard blow to Vegeta's back that sent the prince in to the ground and then bounce further away.

Before 17 could perform a finishing move, a battle cry met his ears and Zara appeared above him with her red aura burning as fiercely as ever as her power level continued to increase to rival Goten's maximum.

She preformed a powerful round house that 17 ducked under before he sidestepped to dodge her equally strong axe kick. He then raised his palm and blasted her into the rubble that used to be a building.

Next Trunks came into view with his power level pushing the boundaries of super saiyan two. He was followed closely by a sub level three Goten. Trunks jump kicked the cyborg but 17 ducked under it just as Goten appeared with a sweeping kick that 17 caught before throwing Goten into his angered friend.

Next up were Uub and Gohan. They both appeared either side of 17, Gohan fully powered up in mystic form and Uub fully powered up and just under equal in power. They both threw a punch at 17's head at the same time but the android phased out of sight at the last minute and the two only just missed each other. Then 17 appeared in front of them and kicked Gohan aside before blasting Uub backwards.

Finally the girls appeared and threw blasts at 17, each of them at full in their respective forms; Pan as a super saiyan and Bra in her regular form. 17 allowed all of their blasts to hit him and laughed before simply powering up and knocking them backwards, thus ending round one that would have seemed like a matter of seconds to a passer by.

Super 17 grinned at his handy work and then took to the air. He laughed hard as he created an apocalyptic sized blast above his head. The z warriors were just beginning to get up when he threw it and it looked as though they could do nothing as it continued to accelerate towards them.

Zara growled and jumped to her feet and instinctively raised her hands, instantly drawing together all available energy to create her pinkish dome shield. The shield grew white as the blast approached and the shield quickly turned into a large ball above her head. She threw this ball at 17's on coming blast and it hit it but instead of exploding, the two blasts merged together to form one larger blast that continued to travel towards 17.

He didn't do a thing to block it as it hit him and the blast began to absorb him. A moment later and all that was left was the giant floating ball of energy.

"That's not right…it should be exploding right about now." She muttered to herself as the others quickly made it to her side. Trunks stared at her and then looked up to the ball, along with everybody else.

The ball began to quiver and then shrink and moments later 17 could be seen absorbing the last of the energy.

"Thanks for the pick me up." He said slyly and Zara could do nothing but stare in shock.

"But…that blast should have…done something to him!" she finally stuttered out and then caught Vegeta's glare.

"It did! It replenished his energy supplies and made him stronger! And its your fault!" he shot at her and turned back to glare at 17.

"Hey, at least we now know that he can absorb energy. Its just that blasts are now out of the question." Trunks quickly said in Zara's defence.

"Yea, but he's still stronger now." She pointed out and got ready for the next attack.

Goku sighed as he watched Pikkon attempt to make the rift for the 27th time. Again the ground wavered in and out of existence but it quickly became solid again.

"Damn! What now? Its really hard to try and line up your ki with someone who you don't even know where they are!" Pikkon swore and kicked the dirt. The lack of success was grinding on both his and Piccolo's nerves.

"_I know but we were closer that time. Just adjust your power level a little more_-"

"Which way? If I do it the wrong way then we could end up completely missing it." Pikkon snapped.

_"Lower it. We know that you're stronger so as long as I keep my power level to full then you can keep getting lower until we're there. Goku should be able to help you or at least what you sense whilst we're exchanging can."_ Piccolo replied, finding it hard to stay calm. Pikkon grumbled and adjusted his ki to try again.

Olibu glanced at them and then returned to the crystal ball.

"Hey you two, I think something's going on down on earth." He called and Goku peered into the ball as well.

"What is it?" he asked before spotting what Olibu was concerned over. Super 17 was displayed in the ball throwing Uub into Goten and blasting them into a wall, knocking them out before Zara and Trunks jumped 17 and missed. Goku continued to watch, worry etching across his face as he continued to watch.

"No…" he muttered and then jumped to his feet and turned to Pikkon.

"Hurry up! I need to get down there now!" he exclaimed. Pikkon shot Goku a frustrated look whilst Olibu tried to calm Goku down.

"Yelling at Pikkon isn't going to help. Patience is a virtue here, we're just going to have to wait and pray that your friends can handle it. I'm sure they can." He said calmly. Goku just stood ridged in front of the dead warrior; gritting his teeth as DG's little slide show played through his mind again but he didn't say a word.

"Here it comes!" Pikkon's shouts quickly caught Goku's attention and the saiyan quickly whirled round to see Pikkon flaring out his aura whilst exchanging his ki. Goku could sense Piccolo's signature mixed in with the ki that was passing through the barriers of hell that separated it with the world of the living. Goku couldn't help but smiling as the ground started to waver in and out of existence and soon a large hole began to grow in the spot where Goku could sense the ki.

"That's it! You're doing it!" he exclaimed and then saw Pikkon beginning to go red in the face.

"Hurry up Goku, I don't know how long I can keep this up." Pikkon announced, the strain evident on his face. Of course that was to be expected. It couldn't be easy breaking hell like that.

So Goku nodded to Pikkon as he wore his rare serious face and he quickly dived into the hole.

"Bye guys, see you again sooner or later!" he called and fell completely out of sight. A moment later and the hole closed up.

Both of the dead warriors stared at where it had once been.

"For your sake Goku, I hope its much later then sooner." Olibu muttered as his thoughts lingered on the fight on earth.

* * *

**A/N**: leaving it there. Get ready for more of a fight with super 17 and a little surprise. I should hopefully post it next weekend since I'm back at school tomorrow.

Reviews:

Rejhan: yea, Goku is going to be doing a lot of thinking about his actions now. Well right now he's got stuff to do but its guaranteed that he'll end up having to deal with it.

Psychomaniac: I think of everything, and if I don't then it's very rare for people to notice. I'm pretty sure that I forgot something a while back but no body pointed it out…  
I don't know about anyone else thinking of this, to me it was obvious. Had to use Piccolo for something. Plus this explains why I didn't have Piccolo running around, killing the hell escapees with the others. He was busting Goku out of hell.

Erica: meh, his fight probably could have been but thinking about it, Frieza really wouldn't have stood a chance. Trunks is a SSJ 2 here after all…

Son Oliver: glad you liked. Thought it would be good to have Uub do something to show Goten his true colours. Can't have Goten stay angry with the guy, can we?  
Ah…the thing is Krillen kinda has to die. If he doesn't then they won't have as much as a reason to summon Shenron and start the dragon saga off so I had to kill my favourite little human fighter. He's annoying like that; he only ever does any good to the series by dying…that and Krillen is over 60 now. Even if he has gotten stronger then his age will be against him. That's part of the reason why I'm not focusing as much on the old human fighters.

Trugeta: psychological torture is the best. And I just had to show Goku how bad a dad/husband he is. But the funny thing is that if Goten didn't decide to hide after the tournament then he would have spoken with his dad and Goku may have gotten past it so DG would have had less to use against him. Its cool when little things like that happen. :)

Also thanks to super saiyan 4 chichi. Bye!


	23. chapter 22: the robotic menace

Well its been a week so guess what? Time for an update!

**Chapter 22: the robotic menace**

The earth had mostly calmed down since the first rift in the sky had appeared. Most of the hell fighters were dead once more and only a few of the weaker – and possibly saner or smarter – ones were left but they were being taken care of by the older human z warriors and Tien's students whilst on the other side of the planet, a battle still raged on.

On the ground lay a small pile of bodies that was still growing. Uub lay flat on his back, blood trickling out of a small cut on his head where he had hit the pavement, with Goten on top in his normal saiyan form again, only slightly bruised but unconscious all the same.

High above the two men were their friends still facing Super 17.

Gohan and Trunks rushed 17 together, both preparing there own attacks to knock back to psychotic cyborg. Gohan pushed his fist down at 17 whilst Trunks approached with an axe kick but the cyborg fired off a burst of energy that sent both hybrids flying backwards before the attacks could hit. It looked like Trunks was going to go straight through a near by building when he suddenly stopped. He looked round in surprise before seeing Zara flying over him and towards 17.

She flew towards him at lightning speed, hoping to attack 17 with a sword kick too fast for him to absorb it. She swung her blazing foot at the cyborg at an incredible speed but he saw it coming and quickly turned round to clasp his hand down hard on her ankle, stopping the attack just inches away from her chest. He then smirked as he absorbed the energy whilst Zara was powerless to do anything despite her struggling.

"AHHH!" the battle cry caught both of their attention and 17 turned to see Trunks coming straight at him, ready to implant his fists into the cyborg's face.

17 had better ideas and swung Zara hard into the mighty saiyan. The two warrior's heads cracked together with a sickening thump which meant that they were the next two warriors out of commission.

Gohan landed swiftly on his feet and watched the two warriors fall. He grit his teeth and allowed his aura to flare to life around him.

_We have to sort this out now or there'll be nobody else who'll stand a chance…_he thought, thinking of his father up in hell as he continued to power up. His mystic aura began to have the occasional spark of gold run through it as he continued to power up. Soon the earth began to shake violently beneath his feet and cracks appeared in the street. These cracks continued to widen until a building fell through and he finally blasted into the air and lunged at the cyborg.

Gohan thrust punch after punch, kick after kick at 17 but the cyborg ducked and dodged everyone before finally landing a punch across the saiyan's jaw followed by a quick jab to the gut. 17 continued to drive his fist into the scholars gut until he finally got bored and gave Gohan a quick blow to the back of the neck. Gohan's aura instantly disappeared and 17 allowed the demi-saiyan to fall to the floor.

Vegeta stood on a rooftop, starring up at the battle above. He wasn't much for hanging back normally but this time he decided to hang back and wait for an opening. Now he gritted his teeth together as a low growl formed in his throat.

_Great, there go the others. Looks like I'll have to deal with this._ He thought to himself and then flared out his aura before taking off to meet 17 in the air.

"You better enjoy yourself whilst you still can, robot, because its about to get serious." The prince muttered and got into a stance. 17 sneered.

"You mean you weren't before? And there was me thinking you were giving it your all." He replied and Vegeta growled at him. 17 smirked at the look on the saiyan's face.

"Super 17! Stop chatting and destroy them all!" Myuu yelled from his spot on a rooftop. 17 glanced at the scientist through the corner of his eye and then turned back his gaze to Vegeta.

"Looks like this will get serious after all." He muttered and then shot his fist out too fast for the prince to track.

The fist slammed into Vegeta's right cheek and then 17 followed though with an upper cut to Vegeta's jaw and then a jab to the gut. Vegeta wheezed in pain as a mixture of blood and spit escaped his mouth before 17's leg slammed into his side, sending him flying towards a building. The cyborg caught Vegeta by the hair when he was inches away.

"You know what? This feels pretty good since not to long ago you were the one doing this to me." 17 commented before smashing the saiyans head through the concrete wall. 17 then flew through the building, using Vegeta's face to bulldoze through any wall that got in the way. Once outside again, 17 tossed his saiyan 'toy' to the side and then blasted him from above, leaving Vegeta to make a crater at a foot of a building that then collapsed onto the prince.

17 smirked at his handy work from above.

"Not bad, considering they are the most powerful creatures around." He commented to himself before his built in ki sensors began going off.

Pan and Bra had hung back after being told to do so earlier by their father's. Now they watched in horror, as their fathers lay unconscious under rubble and other debris.

"Daddy…" Bra muttered, as her ki began to rise. Both her and Pan were shaking as they watched.

"Oh Kami…Dad, Goten and even Vegeta…" Pan muttered. Bra didn't even hear her friend. She just continued to stare at the pile of rubble her father was under.

_No…he can't be gone…come on daddy, get up!_ She thought but nothing happened. The rubble stayed where it was and high above; it looked as if 17 was getting ready to finish the Z warriors off once and for all.

Then something inside her snapped. If she didn't do something then her father, brother and all of the others would be gone and there would be no one left to put a stop to 17. Everything would be lost. That couldn't happen…

"No!" The scream escaped Bra's lips as more of an animal cry as a golden aura erupted around her, nearly pushing Pan off the building. Bra's hair shifted into spikes as her hair went from green to gold. Her hair didn't stand on end like the others, as it was too long, and spiked out in all directions.

Finally her eyes turned teal and lost their pupils and Bra blasted off of the roof before Pan could even think about trying to stop her.

17 turned his head as his sensors continued to beep inside his head. He looked over his shoulder and then received a blow directly to the jaw. It didn't hurt him but it was a shock to the system. He looked down at the furious super saiyan girl in surprise as she floated back and then launched a full-scale attack on any part of his body that she could hit.

17 simply took it with his brow raised. He was far beyond the powers of a basic super saiyan, as he had just proved by beating both Gohan and Vegeta, yet this girl was attacking him in the weakest form of super saiyan. He couldn't work out if she was stupid, crazy, brave or all three. But in any case, he decided to just allow her to vent out her anger. After all, he could probably have some fun with this.

Bra continued to kick and punch any part of the cyborg she could reach until finally she floated back, screaming in frustration. 17 continued to watch her in mild interest as she charged up a blast.

"FINAL FLASH!" she screamed, shooting her arms out at her sides before bringing them back in front of her and firing an apocalyptic sized blast at the cyborg. 17 practically yawned as it came towards him and then spread his arms out as he allowed it to hit, absorbing every last ounce of energy it contained.

Bra panted as she watched and quickly a look of fear spread across her face as 17 began to laugh.

"That tickled." He said through his laughter and then he suddenly appeared in front of her and backhanded her into a wall.

17 was about to blast Bra into oblivion when he suddenly turned and caught the fist of the second super saiyan girl. Pan's eyes widened as the cyborg sneered at her and then tossed her into the same building as Bra. He then pointed a blast at the two girls.

"Bye." He smiled and then fired but before the blast could hit, a second collided with it and made a huge explosion that rocked the remaining buildings. 17 frowned at where the blast had exploded and then turned to look at Vegeta in his normal form.

"Nobody touches my princess like that." He sneered and then powered all the way up to super three again. Super 17 frowned at the saiyan.

"I thought I dealt with you." he commented as he folded his arms across his chest. Vegeta continued to smirk up at the cyborg.

"A true saiyan is never defeated by search weak attacks." The prince exclaimed. 17 smirked as he eyed all of Vegeta's injuries. The saiyan had a nasty cut on his right leg and left arm as well as having a bloody nose and a cut lip.

"They don't seem to be all that weak to me." 17 commented and wiped the smirk from Vegeta's face. The saiyan glared at the cyborg and flared out his electrified aura threateningly.

"What ever, lets just get this over with." Vegeta called before vanishing. 17 continued to smirk.

"Good comeback." He said before ducking under Vegeta's kick.

Vegeta flung his fist forward for a blow to the cyborgs head and missed. He then quickly attempted a left kick that was slapped away before Vegeta tried a spin kick but it was blocked. Vegeta continued to press down on 17's forearm until he suddenly pulled back and kicked 17 in the face with his other leg. The prince smirked to himself before he thrust his fist towards 17's gut but the cyborg's fist came out of nowhere and grabbed it.

"Uh, uh. That'll be rude." 17 mocked and then shoved his knee into the saiyan's gut.

"You don't take advantage when someone gives you a free hit." He continued and then blasted Vegeta into the floor and followed the saiyan down.

Vegeta moaned in pain and tried to get up but 17 landed hard on his chest, forcing whatever air in the saiyan's lungs out. 17's lips spread into a psychotic smirk as he continued to press down on the saiyan, making Vegeta struggle to breath and cringe in pain.

Sailing through the air at an incredible speed flew a kick that planted itself at the base of 17's skull. It struck the cyborg by surprise and sent him off balanced enough for a second kick to throw him into a building.

Vegeta gasped for breath as soon as the weight had gone and opened his eyes to see super saiyan three Goku standing over him.

"I thought you were in hell." Vegeta wheezed as he struggled to get up. He got as far as propping himself up on his elbows.

"Nice to see you too, Vegeta." Goku replied, not taking his eyes off of the spot where 17 had fallen through.

"Now how about I sort him out?" he continued and powered up, his arms sprouting brown monkey hair as his hair shortened to his shoulders and turned black.

"Fine…just watch it when you use blasts. He'll just absorb them." Vegeta quickly warned his friend as Goku's red eyes settled on him.

"Thanks for the tip. See you in a few." Goku replied and took off to meet 17, who was climbing out of the hole he had made in the wall.

Vegeta watched the younger saiyan go and smirk.

"Damn you Kakarot, you always have to be heroic…" he muttered and then gave into the exhaustion.

Goku stopped in front of 17 and watched as the cyborg straightened himself out.

"I thought you got trapped." 17 commented when he was finally done.

"Yea, and then I found the door." Goku replied and continued to watch 17, who frowned.

"Amusing. Not very though." 17 replied and then glanced up at Myuu who looked like he were having a heart attack.

_How could he escape? Gero assured us that he wouldn't! If he was wrong about this then what else was he wrong about?_ Myuu wondered and then decided it was best to just get rid of Goku as fast as possible.

"Super 17, forget about the others and take out Goku! He can't be allowed to live!" the blue scientist yelled and 17 nodded obediently before lunging at Goku.

Goku quickly jumped aside as 17's fist sailed towards him and then kicked the cyborg in the side. 17 winced and then fired a blast into Goku's chest, sending the saiyan flying backwards. Goku stopped himself in mid air and started to fly up as 17 chased after him.

The cyborg quickly caught up and began to throw punches at Goku that the saiyan dodged. 17 growled and then managed to land a punch across Goku's jaw that the saiyan then returned with one of his own. 17 winced in pain and then aimed a punch for Goku's gut but Goku caught it and tried to the same, which 17 caught.

The two entered a stale mate and both struggled to push the other back. 17 growled and raised his power level as he watched Goku and then managed to push the saiyan in to a wall. Goku growled as his back pressed against it and flared out his gold aura before managing to push off of the wall and slam 17 into the one behind him, pushing the buildings down like dominoes in the process.

17 growled once more and then stuck his knee up to hit Goku in the gut. Goku cried out in pain as 17 then dug his elbow deep into the saiyan's back. Goku's tail then swung round and slapped 17 hard over the face, startling the cyborg enough for Goku to twist round and throw his fist deep into the cyborgs gut. 17 gasped in pain and then laced his fits together to hit Goku in the side hard, sending the saiyan down to the ground but Goku instant translocated away at the last possible second.

Super 17 looked round for his opponent in frustration and didn't sense the saiyan behind him until it was too late. Goku attacked 17 with a jump kick to the spine that left 17 sailing hopelessly out of the city and into the farm land beyond where he finally managed to make him self stop in mid air. The cyborg frowned at himself as he floated into an upright position and then spotted Goku charging towards him.

The saiyan sped towards 17 faster then light and quickly managed to smack the cyborg round the head and then kick him into the ground. Goku smiled at the cyborg and then shifted his hands to his side.

"Ka…Me…" he began to chant. 17 looked up at Goku and nearly laughed at what he saw.

"…Ha…Me…HA!" Goku fired the wave at 17 who quickly jumped up and allowed the blast to hit him right in the chest, laughing all the while. It took Goku several moments to remember what Vegeta had said.

_Uh oh…_he thought as 17 floated up to meet him.

"Ah, that's much better." He commented with a smirk on his face as he cracked his neck to loosen up the joints. Goku simply glared at 17. This was going to require a different approach…

"So now that I've had my little pick me up, how about we continue?" 17 continued and then punched Goku right in the chest before the saiyan could respond. 17 was actually faster now that he had absorbed the kamehameha wave.

_Definitely need a new approach._ Goku thought as he tried to regain air.

Goku swung his fist forward to try and connect with 17's jaw, but the cyborg phased out of site and appeared beside Goku, quickly punching the saiyan in the face and following through with a round house to the back. Goku was left falling straight into the ground below with a multitude missile-like blasts following closely. Goku landed hard and was then hit by every single one of them. When the resulting smoke subsided, Goku was left in his normal form, struggling to get up amongst the rubble.

Dr Myuu landed on a rock not to far away and quickly took in the scene. Goku was still alive but 17 looked completely capable of finishing off the saiyan.

"Super 17! Finish this now!" Myuu yelled in sheer glee and 17 nodded as he raised a palm.

"Don't you dare!" a new voice called and 18 quickly flew past 17 and landed in front of Goku. Everyone stared at her.

"I've been watching you, 17, and I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else. You already took away Krillen so now I'm going to take you out!" she called and then painfully lifted her left arm over her chest.

Myuu laughed from his place on the rock.

"And how do you expect to do that? Super 17 here can defeat the great Goku so what makes you think that you have a chance?" he asked as he smirked down at her. He didn't notice how fixated 17 was on the hand hovering over her chest.

"17, you know how powerful my self destruct bomb is and right now I'm angry and desperate enough to set it off. Do you really want to risk it?" she called up. 17 floated frozen in the air as he watched his sister.

Meanwhile, Goku had sat up and was looking very confused.

_But didn't Krillen say that he had the dragon remove those bombs? She can't self-destruct using it and she should know that!_ He thought, remembering the story perfectly when Krillen had told it. That wish had been part of what had set off their relationship…

_But 17 doesn't know that they had been removed! She's just bluffing…_Goku suddenly thought and jumped to his feet.

"18, don't be foolish. Don't…" 17 started from his place in the sky and trailed off. He watched his sister carefully whilst Myuu looked confused from his rock.

"Who cares about the self destruct? She's probably bluffing! So stop being a coward and destroy her!" the scientist yelled.

"17!" 18 called from below, never moving her gaze.

"Coward!" Myuu called and 17 growled.

"Shut up!" the cyborg yelled and quickly turned to fire the blast at his master. Myuu couldn't defend himself against it and went with the explosion.

"I can't think with all the noise." 17 muttered and then looked back at the startled 18 and Goku, who were looking at the ash pile that had been Myuu.

"You're bluffing." 17 called out after a moment's silence.

"Why would you say that after what you did to my husband? I'm perfectly capable!" 18 called. Her brother smirked and folded his arms across his chest.

"If you weren't bluffing then you'd have done it by now. Besides, it wasn't my fault that that baka human was so weak." 17 replied. 18 growled and both of her hands went to her sides and clenched into fists.

"How dare you…" she muttered and then powered up.

"It was your fault! And he was not weak!" she screamed and began to fire as many blasts as she could at her brother, all of which he allowed to hit him so he could absorb them.

Goku's eyes widened as he watched 18.

"Hey! What are you doing? You'll just make him stronger!" Goku exclaimed. 18 glared as she continued.

"Can't you see it?" she asked as she continued to fire blasts. This puzzled Goku.

"See what?" he asked, making 18 groan.

"He's completely defenceless whilst he's absorbing energy!" she explained and Goku looked up at 17 to see what she meant.

Sure enough she was right. 17 couldn't defend himself whilst he was absorbing the blasts. His arms were outstretched at his sides so that the blasts could hit every part of him and be absorbed and he was completely focused on the energy, nothing else.

"See what you mean." Goku muttered and powered up into his new transformation before disappearing.

17 continued to absorb the blasts that were heading towards him. He couldn't believe his luck. At least not until…

"Dragon fist!"

Goku was heading straight for him with his fist out stretched as he soared towards 17. The cyborg could do nothing to defend himself as Goku's fist connected and continued straight through to the other side of the cyborg. 17 screamed in pain as his artificial power source was punctured, which caused a chain reaction inside of the android that led to him exploding around Goku's wrist.

18 watched almost sadly as super 17 exploded. He may have gone crazy but he was still her brother. It seemed as though her family were being picked off…

"I'm sorry…about this." Goku's voice startled her and she looked up to see Goku holding his bleeding wrist. The explosion had caused him some damage as well.

"Its ok…" she trailed off. Goku continued to watch her.

"We'll gather the Dragonballs and wish Krillen back. We'll need them anyway to fix the mess Gero caused." He said softly. 18 smiled.

"Thank you." she muttered and then looked up as an air car approached them. A moment later and it had landed and an overweight man with an extremely sour face jumped out.

"Hey, Korin seems to think that you'll need these…" the man known as Yajirobe said, holding up a small pouch but he froze when he saw the surroundings.

"What the hell happened here?"

18 and Goku shared a look before she walked over to him.

"We'll explain in a moment. There are some people back in the city that really need those senzu beans right about now." She told Yajirobe and then led him into the city, leaving Goku alone.

He watched them go.

_Well that's one disaster averted. Now for the next problem…_

* * *

**A/N**: and that's how super 17 got defeated. Not much different, I know. I focused more on the others, I think but that's about it. That and I have a small hint in there for how a certain something might turn out…

Now next time is another original chapter where everything goes wrong for Goku! Look out for it next week!

Reviews:

Chico: ah, wondered where you had got to. And you won't need to know how GT goes soon, it's getting to the big plot changes! Yay!

Rejhan: glad you liked! And Krillen does have a nasty habit of dying. He's probably pretty well known in the check in station by now…oh well. Oh, and I added something in here for you. SSJ Bra! Enjoy!

Trugeta: yep, the z gang are a whole lot smarter this time around! And more active as you'll soon see. Glad you liked, here's the update.

Erica: umm…dunno? Do you? Well Goku took a while so…um…yea…

Psychomaniac: really? You do? That is really tempting… :) Nah. Of course there wasn't that much change here…but they are coming!

Thanks also go to super saiyan 4 chichi for reviewing. Bye!


	24. chapter 23: sheer drop

You say we're not responsible  
but we are, we are- Ana****

****

**Chapter 23: sheer drop.**

Several hours after the battle with super 17 and everyone had gone to Capsule Corp home base to sort out what had gone on. Bulma had been talking with 18, Chichi, Gohan and Videl about the Dragonballs mission down in the lab, Goku had disappeared upstairs somewhere and Vegeta was training. The younger members of the Z gang – except Uub who had gone home – were gathered in the living room for a rare get together in the form of a movie. The adults of the group were usually too busy with their own lives to get together and hang out very often so they liked to try and relax when ever possible. Bra and Pan however just wanted to join in.

Marron sat on the sofa along with Zara and the boys, idly flipping through channels until she reached the news. Pictures of various disasters were shown as the reporter commented on them.

"**_…One of many volcanoes that were thought to be dead is seen here erupting, as well as various earthquakes hitting Satan city and the northern capital. These are only a few of the disasters that have occurred since the sky opened up this morning…"_**

Marron turned off the TV and sighed.

"Great, looks like the world is a mess." She muttered.

"Yea. Mum thinks it's all because of the hole. Apparently its caused more damage then we thought." Trunks said.

"So it really is a good thing we're gathering the Dragonballs. We can fix this mess." Zara added. Goten looked over at her.

"What do you mean 'we'? If its us that's supposed to be getting them then shouldn't we be out there?" he asked. Pan looked round at him from her spot on the floor.

"No uncle Goten, you're not doing it. If you had listened then you'd know that. Me, mum and dad are getting them. We're just waiting for dad to finish up with Bulma." She explained. Goten frowned and kicked his niece softly.

"Hey, I can't help it if I have other things to worry about then Bulma's little meeting." He snapped at her and then glanced at Marron. He had been busy worrying if Marron was ok whilst he was supposed to be listening to Bulma.

"Whatever. I'm surprised you even showed." Pan replied. Goten turned his eyes back to his niece and frowned.

"I had something I wanted to check on. Besides, dad's been locked up in one of the bedrooms ever since Bulma's little meeting so I don't see any reason why not to stay. As long as he stays up there I'm fine." He said and folded his arms stubbornly. Pan frowned and kicked her uncle.

"Hey! Would get over it! Grandpa's been through a lot and doesn't need you being mister broody pants!" she half yelled at him. Goten glared at her and opened his mouth to say something but Trunks jumped in before he could.

"Hey, how about we go get some popcorn or something? Can't have a movie without snacks!" he announced and then pulled Goten up, "come on 'ten, lets go." He added and pulled his friend to the kitchen, eager to prevent a fight breaking out in his mother's designer living room.

The others all watched them go and Bra jumped to her feet.

"I need to go talk to Trunks about something…" she mumbled and then followed the guys.

Bra stuck her head into the kitchen and then walked in cautiously when she saw no Goten.

"Is it safe to talk?" she asked. Trunks looked up from the microwave in surprise.

"Huh? Oh yea, Goten's just getting something from the freezer next door. What's up?" he asked and finished setting the timer on the microwave. Bra watched him and then looked up at her brother's face.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. I thought you were gonna ask her out." Bra said. Trunks went slightly red and turned away.

"I was going to…but something kept getting in the way." he explained. Bra frowned.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Just people. I've learned from experience that it's best not to have an audience when asking people if they want to take a relationship to the next level." He explained. Bra tilted her head to the side in confusion and Trunks decided it best that he explained.

"Look, back when she first arrived back on earth I was thinking about asking her out, more as friends then a couple and more for catching up purposes. I eventually got round to it but Goten was there when I did. Afterwards he wouldn't stop teasing us until finally I snapped and said that it wasn't a proper date and that he could come along to prove it. He did and the whole thing was a disaster. I couldn't talk to Zara and afterwards we were more distant. It took ages to fix it." He finished. Bra smiled up at her brother.

"But you were all really young back then, I think 'ten is a little more mature by now. I'm sure…no, positive, that he won't say or do anything that would ruin everything if you went ahead and asked her out." She announced. Goten chose this moment to walk back into the kitchen with a large tub of ice cream.

"Who is he asking out?" he asked as he placed the tub on the side.

"Only Zara." Bra said innocently, making Trunks nearly face vault into the floor.

"Bra! Didn't you listen to me?" he asked as he frowned down at the saiyan princess. Bra only smirked back at him in a way that read 'don't worry, I'm right'.

"Really? That's brave." Goten said thoughtfully, interrupting the little sibling tiff. Both of the Briefs turned to look at their friend.

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked. Goten shrugged.

"Its just that you have a strong with relationship with Zara and I'm sure you wouldn't want to ruin it." Trunks and Bra exchanged curious glances and then returned to watching Goten.

"How would asking Zara out on a little date possibly ruin everything?" Bra asked.

"Well, what if she doesn't feel the same way? That'll cause a rift. And then what if everything goes wrong once they are dating? Its impossible to break up with someone and still have a close friendship." Goten informed them. Trunks stared thoughtfully at the floor at this and Bra huffed.

"Well she does feel the same way so they won't ruin anything." Bra said stubbornly. Goten shrugged.

"Yea, but one bad experience can change everything. Besides, you shouldn't decide to go to the next level with a friend just because another did whilst he was angry one time." Goten pointed out.

"He was going to before that. And what are you saying anyway? That you'll never risk a friendship even though you love a girl?" Bra asked. Goten went slightly red.

"That'll be different." Goten said and looked away from Bra's glare.

The microwave beeped, saving Trunks from having to listen to his best friend and sister argue over his love life. Trunks fetched the popcorn out of the microwave and made for the door.

"We better go back to the others." He muttered and hurried out of there. Both Goten and bra watched him leave and once he was out of the room, bra smacked Goten round the back of his head. Goten quickly side stepped away from her as he rubbed the spot she hit.

"What was that for?" he asked. Bra glared and grabbed the ice cream.

"For proving me wrong!" she announced and then followed her brother.

Goku stared at the floor of the dark room. He didn't know who's bedroom he was in but that didn't stop him from huddling on the bed with the door locked as he went over everything that had been shown to him in hell. As far as he could work out, he had two problems. One was making sure that the z gang got stronger and ready for the next villain that would no doubt show his or her face, and the second was fixing the damage he had made in his family.

So far he had thing to preoccupy him so that he didn't have to dwell on what the demon girl had shown him, but now all he could do was think it over and realise just how right she had been.

"_Gohan was the most experienced and the strongest of the younger fighters and he still doesn't stand a chance against your old enemies_." He remembered Dg saying as the fight with Gohan and Goten against the machine mutants played in his head, Gohan getting encased in metal and Goten getting possessed by Bebi and then destroying the rest of his family.

The kids hadn't stood a chance against super 17 and Bebi had defeated them all easily as well. It was just like what DG had shown him.

_"Maybe if you stuck with the idea of passing the role of earth's hero then maybe you could have prepared them all better and this could have been averted_._ Then again the last time you tried to give them the chance to be the hero you messed it up. You have a problem with making bad choices._"

She was right about that too. He had messed up Gohan's life as well as the rest of his family's by training and then hurt them by getting them to try what he did best.

"No more…" he muttered.

He was going to fix it. He was going to prepare everybody and make up for lost time. He couldn't leave them getting hurt anymore and to do that he had to get them stronger not only as a family but as warriors. If he ever got trapped like he had during the super 17 fight then the others wouldn't stand a chance so he would have to make them stronger. Then they'd be safe. It made sense to pressure the others into training more.

"Goku? Are you all right in there? We're getting worried out here…" a voice called from the other side of the door. Chichi's voice. Goku didn't answer and Chichi sighed on the other side.

"Look, Goku, Gohan and the others are about to leave to try an find the Dragonballs. If you want to say goodbye then this is you last chance…" she said. Goku's head turned towards the door.

_Guess this is the time_ he thought and got up. He walked out the door and went down the hall before Chichi could even say anything.

Goku found Gohan in the living room with the rest of the younger warriors. It looked like Goten and Pan had been having another heated 'discussion' that had immediately been silenced once Goku walked in. the saiyan looked round at his children and their friends as they stared at him. Trunks, Zara, Goten and Marron were all comfortable on the sofa and Bra was lying on the floor on top of some cushions whilst Pan was beside her, just getting up from her spot on the floor. Gohan stood at the end of the sofa, next to the door.

"Dad, I wasn't expecting to see you down here." Gohan said in surprise as Goku walked fully into the room. The others continued to stare at Goku as a certain half-breed began to wonder what his chances were of escaping the room and his father.

Goku stared at all of the kids and then silently turned the TV off, earning annoyed groans and looks from the others. He then looked over the group.

"We need to talk." He said bluntly. The others exchanged looks of confusion whilst Goten shrunk down in his seat.

"Um…what about, dad?" Gohan asked as he perched himself on the armrest next to Trunks. Goku cleared his throat as he quickly thought over what to say.

"Its about your training. I'm…concerned." He started and for once he looked his age. No longer was he the carefree Goku but an old man who reality had just given a hefty blow to. It was enough to give all who knew him a chill.

"Um…why? We've been training, no need to be concerned about that." Pan said, confused as she stared up at her grandfather.

"I know you have but its not enough. You guys need to get stronger and fast." Goku explained. This just succeeded in confusing the group even more.

"Why? There isn't another threat coming, is there?" Zara asked. Goku shook his head.

"Then why the hurry?"

Goku gritted his teeth at the logical question. They didn't understand.

"You're weak, ok? You wouldn't stand a chance if there were another threat or monster." He explained. The others all frowned at Goku, some trying to work out exactly what he meant and the others just plain insulted.

"What the hell is that meant to mean? We're the strongest in the universe at the moment! And you don't even know how strong exactly we've all gotten!" Goten exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. Marron grabbed his arm in an attempt to hold him back.

"Calm down…" she muttered and he seemed to do just that after giving her a sideways glance.

Goku watched them and then turned continued his little speech.

"You may think that you're strong now but the truth is that super saiyan three won't cut it anymore and nobody in this room besides me has reached that level. Goten is in the sub level and Gohan and Zara may be almost equal to one but that's not enough. With the way it goes with villains, you guys won't stand a chance."

"So what are you saying, Goku? That we need to train more? I know that I haven't got enough time to train anymore then I already do and I'm pretty sure it's the same for everyone." Zara explained.

"What are you talking about? You guys have tons of free time. I've seen Goten just staying at home all day, doing nothing. And then there's what you're doing now." Goku said, confused. Goten was the one to answer.

"You're thinking of when I was 17! That was ten years ago and everything is different now! We all have jobs and careers we have to think about. I have to go out and earn money to support mum and me since you won't. Gohan helps out with his scholar job but he has his own family. And Zara and Trunks both work for C.C. Trunks is the CEO for crying out loud! He can't just dump that job so that he can train just cause someone is paranoid."

Goku stared at his youngest and then looked at the others.

"I think you can put your jobs aside to help protect the world. I care the most about you and the Earth and to do that you guys need to be as strong as I am. Stronger even. Its just irresponsible to not train when you're the only ones with a slim chance to protect everything." Goku replied. The whole group glared at Goku for this and Zara stood up, her eyes beginning to go red.

"Hey! We are not irresponsible. We just have a lot on our plates. We have to look after ourselves to be able to do what you're telling us to and to do that we need money and there go jobs. We may not like it but that's how the world works. But you wouldn't know that since you've been living in your own for so long." She told Goku and then left, Trunks following and calling after her to calm down.

Goku watched them go and then turned to the others.

"What was that about?" he asked, confused. Goten frowned at his father as he answered.

"It was about you. You can't just run off for years on end and then come back and tell us what to do and give us speeches about responsibility! You don't even know anything about responsibility otherwise I would have had a father to watch me grow up and help me along the way. Instead I only had Gohan for most of it! That was unfair and irresponsible on your part, dad."

Goku stared at his son in surprise.

"Goten…I'm…I'm sorry…I want to make it up to you I really do…" he started but Goten interrupted.

"Don't, dad, just don't I don't need you to try and apologise when you're not sorry. I'm sorry that I don't have the fighter's spirit like Uub and Gohan had so I'll just go. You can go and forget about me and spend time with a real saiyan since you obviously want to so much." He told his father and then shoved past, leaving the room and the building.

Goku stared hopelessly forward and settled on his eldest son. Gohan averted his gaze, unsure if he should be sorry for his father or mad at him for his little outburst.

"I…need to go find the Dragonballs. Come on Pan, your mother's waiting." Gohan said in a near whisper when he found his voice and then led his daughter out. Bra followed them in an attempt to escape the awkwardness, leaving Goku alone with Marron.

Goku stared at the doorframe and felt his knees give way. He had once again ruined everything…

"Goku?" Marron's voice asked softly from the sofa. Goku was silent for a long moment.

"I don't get it," he finally muttered, "I keep messing everything up…"

Marron watched him carefully. She had never seen Goku act like this before and she was sure no one else had either. Goku was a man who was supposed to be perpetually cheerful. Nothing was supposed to faze him. But something in hell had made him panic and now he was experiencing the negative emotions with no idea how to handle them. Marron felt sorry for the saiyan.

"No…you didn't mess it up…" she muttered softly. Goku stared up at Marron in surprise.

"Yes I have. I've torn my family apart without even realising it and I've probably done something similar with the kids just then…I…don't get it." He replied. Marron watched him and then sighed. She slid off of the sofa and made her way over to the saiyan.

"You haven't ruined anything with the others. You just…went in unprepared. You can still make things right. Apologise to them and maybe even explain to them what's got you so spooked. And as for your family…well…you'll just have to start making up for lost time, won't you? Chichi and Gohan will love to have you around again." Marron explained. Goku listened to her carefully and then nodded.

"Ok…but what about Goten? I…what I've done over the years seems to have affected him the most. He hates me and he's not going to just let me make it up so easily." Goku said and then glanced back at the floor again. It hurt to think of what he had unintentionally done to his son just by being himself.

Marron sighed again.

"Goten…has a lot of issues right now. He was burned pretty badly by your leaving with Uub…" she started and thought back to her little talk with the youngest Son man at the budokai.

"But he's not lost. Talk to him, possibly fight it out if need be, but don't give up on him. Goten needed his father and he still does." She finished and looked at Goku again. Goku stared at her thoughtfully.

"And how do I do that if he refuses to stay in the same room as me?" he asked. Marron bit her lip.

_Goten is going to kill me…but I'm to worried about him not to try and get him to fix it…_she thought.

"Leave it to me." She said, almost in a defeated tone of voice that Goku didn't notice as he smiled up at her.

_Well, at least things might actually get back to normal around here if I help…_she thought, ready to do her part in order to save the earth's hero…

A/n: meh, bad ending probably but its done despite that. And yea, by 'everything goes wrong for Goku' I meant he manages to get the younger members of the z gang mad(er) at him.

Next chapter we'll be getting a few of the conversations Goku needs to have as well as a few twists/surprises and the official start of the shadow dragon saga. Yay!

Oh, and if you're wondering why I have a quote from the song 'we are' by Ana at the top of this chapter then its because I got a good part of this chapter planned out in my head when I first started listening to it. Thought it tied in…

Reviews:

Son Oliver: um…Vegeta going ssj4 was natural in the sense that he skipped ssj3 in the series and I'm going to explain why in a later chapter. But on another note we got part of a talk with Goten and Goku like you wanted. Goku knows how bad a father he is and he want to make it up. I just hope I managed to get Goku's side of it down well. He may be a naïve little so in so but he still (well now anyway) got hurt by his actions and Goten's reactions. It's tearing up Goku just as much as Goten and that'll be why Marron helps out (even if it will get Goten annoyed at her…)

Chris: glad you liked. What's coming up is going to be a lot different to GT though. GT was completely focused on Goku and it had next to no focus on the others (except for Vegeta but that was only one or two episodes and it completely overlooked what had happened in the Buu saga…more or less) as For Gohan…you'll have to wait and see what I do… :p

Rejhan: yes, SSJ Bra. You got what you asked for in an earlier review :) the fight scene didn't really need much changing…just think that maybe I should have done something better with Myuu and Gero…

Super saiyan 4 chichi: well…I kinda had to put in SSJ 4 Goku or else he would have gotten pretty beat up…but thanks –sweat drop-

Erica: ah, sorry… it probably should have been longer but I just needed super 17 saga as an excuse to violently knock Goku down a peg…after that there wasn't much to change besides having the others fight…

Chico: thanks :) and its not long for the bigger plot changes either! Yay!

Trugeta: -sweat drop- oh yea, the Kamehameha thing. Well Goku got carried away as he does and also he needed an attack that would destroy 17 since he was kinda desperate after what he saw in hell. Guess that was my lapse of thinking for the week. But the silly thing is that a few days after it I actually found a script for the show and found the bit I was struggling to remember: why Goku fired the blast in the show. Trust GT to not have Vegeta warn Goku…-grumbles-

Anyway, see you all next week for the next update!


	25. chapter 24: cracked

**Chapter 24: cracked **

Goku had gone to work talking to everyone all through the next day. He explained his behaviour and partially what had happened in hell, with some assistance from Marron. First he talked to Gohan and Pan before they had gotten to far into the Dragonball hunt and then to Zara at her house. Trunks was the last person on his list before he tried talking to the hardest of the bunch, Goten.

Goku had instant translocated to Trunks's office in the capsule corporation main office building in the centre of west city.

"Goku?" Trunks asked when the hero had suddenly appeared. The lavender haired prince was about to sneak out of the building at the time to avoid more paper work and Goku had caught him by surprise.

"Yea, its me." Goku replied with a nervous grin before noticing that Trunks had a knee resting on the sill of his open window.

"What are you doing?" Trunks asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Goku replied as he stared at Trunks's knee. The demi coughed nervously and quickly hurried back to his desk.

"Doesn't matter, what brings you here of all places?" Trunks asked, rather embarrassed that he was caught trying to sneak out.

"I'm kind of going on an apologising round and your next on the list. I have some explaining to do about yesterday." Goku replied.

"Guess you do, even if I do understand all of your concerns. You want us to train and we do need to get stronger and I would really like to but I've already got a lot on plate. I don't get home until late and it'll be unfair just to ask my mum to take over as CEO until Bra is old enough. It'll be unfair to mum since this is her retirement years and it'll be unfair to Bra to just sign her life away like that." Trunks explained and then sighed.

"It looks as though only one Briefs kid will be allowed to follow saiyan heritage and right now I'm kinda stuck with the human." He finished. Goku nodded.

"I see and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just gone in and ordered you around like that. It's just the earth and you guys are what are important to me. I had a wake up call and panicked. The fact is that the team has to be stronger now to take over, after all I'm not going to be around forever, just like how super 17 had demonstrated. If I'm gone then I need to know if the ones I love are safe. I'm sorry that I rounded on everyone yesterday, that was unfair but I can't stress enough how important it is that everyone is safe." Goku explained and Trunks nodded, looking thoughtfully at his desk. He didn't know whether or not to feel ashamed for feeling mad at Goku when he was looking out for everyone's best interest, even if he had handled it badly.

"You don't have to explain it to me Goku. I get it and I will try my best to train its just hard, ok." Trunks replied after a long silence. Goku's face lit up despite his attempts to stay serious.

"I know it is and I respect that. I better just go though, you're probably busy." Goku said just as Trunks's secretary's head poked round the door, signalling more work was coming. Trunks mentally groaned.

"Right, Goku. See you later." He replied and Goku disappeared, leaving Trunks with a fresh pile of paperwork on his desk.

"Perfect." He muttered and let his head hit the desk and rest there.

Goten walked to the little café in Satan city where Marron worked. He was planning on catching her on her break so that they could talk and hang out for a while, well until the end of his own lunch break anyway.

He quickly walked in and settled into a small booth. He only had to sit there for a few minutes until a lively red head walked over to him in the pink waitress uniform.

"Hey Goten! Mar will be out in a sec, she's kinda busy right now. Can I get you anything?" she asked, flipping out a notebook from her apron's pocket. Goten smiled up at her.

"Ah, ok then. I'll just have a coffee right now Emi, wouldn't want to eat all the food again." He said with a laugh and the grin he had inherited from his father. Emi nodded and walked off whilst humming. Goten watched her go and then started to stare out of the window. He got so absorbed in his own thoughts and watching what was happening outside that he didn't recognise the ki of the person who sat across from him straight away.

"So you're all done then?" Goten asked as he looked across at the person. Then he paled. It wasn't Marron that was sat across from him like he assumed.

"Almost."

It was his father.

Goten gulped and quickly tried to calculate his chances of escaping. Maybe using a blast as a smoke screen…

"Goten, I'm not here to tell you off for leaving or anything, I just want to talk to you in as civilised a way as possible, ok?" Goku asked slowly. Goten stared at his father again and slumped down in his seat, defeated.

"Whatever."

Goku watched his son closely.

"I just want to say I'm sorry." he said slowly.

"You already said that." Goten said back.

"So I'm saying it again." Goku replied. Goten kept his eyes fixed firmly on the table. He couldn't look at Goku anymore.

"Don't you think it's too late for that? The damage is done." Goten said.

"And I get that but I want to fix it and saying sorry seems as good a place to start as any." Goku replied. He was in his serious mood for once; he was going to do this right.

Goten stayed silent and Goku decided to continue.

"I don't do what I do to hurt you or the others, I do it because I care."

Goten's head shot up at this.

"How does leaving us without so much as an explanation caring? You just took off!" he said, raising his voice. Goku looked slightly ashamed but he continued to watch his son.

"Do you remember what Uub was like when we met him? He was just a lost little kid with almost no training but he had the powers and strength of one of the strongest opponents we ever had to face." Goku started. Goten rolled his eyes.

"So you left for a challenge?" Goten asked. Goku shook his head.

"No son, I left to train Uub so that he wouldn't do anything he'd regret. He had no control and it would only take a moment of him being angry to do a lot of damage. I showed this at the tournament. I thought everyone would understand that but I guess only I did." He replied and frowned lightly at the thought.

"You still could have kept your promise and visited us. You only did four times during the first three years and then we never saw you again." Goten said after a long moment of silence.

"I know but you know me, I get carried away. It's a habit I need to sort out." Goku said and grinned nervously. Goten shook his head, a faint smile on his lips.

"You can say that again," he looked up, " but that doesn't stop it from hurting."

"I'm not expecting it to. I just want to make it all up. The past is done, I can't change that, but I want to make it up to you even if it takes the next 50 years! You're my son and you're one of the most important people in my life alongside Chichi and Gohan." Goku explained and Goten went back to staring at the table.

"I don't know if you've noticed," Goku continued, "but sometimes I can be really, really stupid in my actions. There are a lot of things that I would do differently if I had the chance. I think most people have those, mine just happen to include letting a dragon wish me back to life so that I could watch my kids grow up from the beginning."

This made Goten crack another smile before he answered.

"I have noticed." He looked up at his father again, not quite as angry as before. It was hard to keep being mad at someone like Goku. It was something that could be very annoying at times.

"But there are some other things. Like you teaching Uub to instant translocate. You refused to teach Gohan and me that, what made him so special?" Goten asked. Goku scratched the base of neck nervously.

"Ah, well I wasn't intending on teaching him that. After he learnt how to use and control his energy he got to be a very fast learner. He figured most of it out for himself just by watching me. In the end I had to teach him just so that he didn't materialise inside a wall or something." He said and sweat dropped. Goten nodded, satisfied with the explanation.

"You see, I don't care about Uub anymore then you. You're family and will always come first." Goku paused and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"In fact, if you want, I'll teach you the instant translocation technique." He finished. Goten's eyes lit up.

"Really? You'll willingly do that? Give up the secret to your favourite technique?" Goten asked.

"Yep." Goku replied, grinning. Goten grinned back but then switched to a suspicious look.

"You're only going to so that I'll stop being mad at you though, aren't you?" he asked. Goku scratched his head nervously again, still grinning.

"Is it working?" he asked. Goten grinned again.

"For the moment, but there is still more to make up for then what one technique can." Goten replied.

"I know, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make it up. And I have other techniques I picked up anyway." He joked and Goten shook his head, still grinning the famous son grin. He hadn't completely forgiven Goku but for the moment his anger had subsided. Goku had that effect on people.

Marron smiled to herself as she watched through the kitchen door's window. It felt so good to see those two getting along again. Maybe it was sign that things would start to look up…

Hours later and Goten, Trunks and Zara were all in Vegeta's GR for some training. It was in the evening and Trunks was lucky to be there as he finally managed to finish the month end reports for C.C.

The three of them were all sparring at the super level one. Goten launched himself at Zara who ducked under his attack and used a kick to flip him over her head where Trunks materialised and hit his friend into the ground. Goten growled as he crawled onto his feet.

"If I didn't know any better then I'd say that you guys were ganging up on me." He said moodily. The couple above him flashed him innocent looks.

"Maybe, but you are the strongest saiyan here." Trunks said in reply. Goten rolled his eyes.

"Yea, strongest saiyan." He mumbled and made his way to the door.

"I'm getting a drink and when I get back it'll be fair game on Trunks instead of me." He called and hurried out. The other two only laughed.

"I guess getting a pounding is a good way to bring him down." Zara commented.

"Yea, shame really. He was in a good mood for once." Trunks added. They both floated there for a moment in silence.

"So," Zara started, "you want to continue with out Goten for a while?" she asked. Trunks smiled over at her.

"I dunno, it'll be kinda hard 'ganging up' on Goten without him taking part." He said with a playful smirk. Zara nudged him playfully in the arm.

"You know what I meant." She said. Trunks laughed and got into a stance.

"Maybe." He replied. Zara flashed him a smirk and matched his stance.

"I'm so going to get you." She said and then disappeared. Trunks chuckled again and disappeared as well.

They met high in the air, exchanging punches. Trunks threw several that Zara ducked and weaved through until Trunks surprised her with a kick. He hit her square in the chest and Zara winced before he threw another punch at her. Zara was just able to float back in time before she caught him with a high kick. He was forced backwards but when he stopped himself he grinned down at her. She smirked back and gestured for him to attack.

The demi-saiyan lunged forward with a punch but hit nothing but air. Zara had disappeared and he had barely enough time to even register that before she kicked him hard in the back and he was sent skidding across the floor.

As he began to slow down, she appeared floating above him. She pinned him on the floor after flashing him a mischievous grin.

"Gotcha." She said softly. Trunks grinned and stuck his leg up, flipping her over so that he was then pinning her to the floor.

"Nope, got you." he said triumphantly. Zara pouted and tried to flip him over but he held his position. She looked over his hold and then stared into his eyes.

"So what are you going to do about it?"

Trunks froze as he stared down at her. He thought that she was just teasing him so that he would drop his guard and she could get up but no kick came. She only stared up at him. She wasn't teasing: it was an invitation.

He then realised just how heavy they were both breathing. His mouth was dry and he felt himself lean forward.

_One bad experience can change everything_ Goten's voice cut into his thoughts like a knife and he hesitated.

_Its impossible to break up with someone and still have a close friendship._ In other words its impossible to go to the next level still have everything be the same as before.

Zara was now looking confused up at him. He was taking too long. He shook the thoughts out of his head and leant forward again just to have something new pop into his head.

_I need to know if the ones I love are safe, I can't stress enough how important it is._ Goku's voice said and then he remembered something.

_Trunks watched as Zara sped towards Super 17, her foot blazing with energy that he instantly recognised as the sword kick. She expertly swung it round at a speed that even a super saiyan 2 had trouble following. Right at the last moment, the maniacal cyborg turned round and clasped onto her leg just before the spot where the attack began. Zara grit her teeth as 17's grip hardened and she struggled to get out. _

_Trunks growled as he watched and powered up as much as he could. He wasn't going to just stand around whilst 17 hurt someone he cared about so much. So he charged at the cyborg and got ready to throw one strong punch at his face. Super 17 noticed just in time and turned round, allowing Trunks to see the look on Zara's face. She was going to tell him to stop. _

_At least she would have if 17 hadn't swung her into him, knocking both of them out and leaving 17 with only Gohan and Vegeta to deal with._

His feelings had made him act brashly and had made them both get hurt and put out of action…

"I can't…" Trunks muttered.

Zara's confusion grew at this and Trunks let her out of the pin, allowing her to sit up and stare at his back.

"What? What do you mean you can't?" she asked. Trunks ran a hand through his hair as he tried to work it out. He had been sure that he would be able to go to the next level but he had given himself too much time to think and listen to the others. Now he was confused.

"Why can't you?" she asked again, now sounding hurt. Trunks knew it would be all over her face but couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"Its...its just hard, ok?" he said. Zara stared at the back of his head. He had been leading her on for so long now, making her think that maybe he wanted to take things further but now she was just confused, embarrassed and hurt, then maybe a little mad as well.

"Why? How is it?" she asked, staring at him just as the GR doors slid open to reveal Goten carrying some bottles of water. He stopped and stared at his two friends, surprised by how dramatically the mood had changed.

"Erm…is something wrong?" he asked. The other two were silent until finally Zara got up, now just looking upset and angry.

"Why don't you ask him?" she said and then stalked towards the door. Trunks lifted up his head and watched her.

"Zara, wait." He called. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder.

"We'll deal with it later." She said and then blurred out of site as she teleported home.

Goten let out a long whistle as he made his way over to his friend.

"What's her problem?" he asked. Trunks ran his hands through his hair again and stared blankly at the ground.

"I think I just made a huge mistake." He said in a near whisper. Goten looked concerned at his friend and sat next to him.

"Explain." He said simply. Trunks glanced at the other man and then went back to staring at the floor.

"We were going to go to the next level. The opportunity was there and everything. We could have just gone through with it but then I started thinking." He explained.

"Uh oh." Goten said and Trunks gave him an annoyed glance.

"Yea. All I could think about was your dad's speech and what you said in the kitchen yesterday. I panicked." Trunks finished. Goten looked confused.

"Wait, you actually took what I said seriously?" he asked. Trunks lifted his head.

"Yea…should I not have?" he asked. Goten looked surprised.

"Duh! I'm Goten! I say stuff with out really thinking! I do it all the time! Its one of those annoying little traits I got from my dad! Yes, I wanted you to think through what you wanted to do with Zara but I didn't expect you take it this seriously." Goten explained. Trunks blinked and then smacked himself very hard on the forehead.

"I have to go talk to her…" he muttered after a little round of swearing. Goten shook his head, trying to be serious.

"And say what exactly? You need to sort yourself out first and let her cool down. Zara's not like any of the other girls you've upset before now. She's perfectly able to beat you up for one thing and then she can also scramble up your mind. You know when she joked about making me think that I'm a 5-year-old girl that one time when she was mad? I don't think she was joking." He explained. Trunks sighed.

"I guess you're right, for once." Trunks muttered and went back to staring at the floor, going over everything in his head.

The sky had gone red as the sunset. It was going to be dark soon and they wouldn't be able to find any more Dragonballs, Gohan thought. He was in the middle of a cornfield with Pan and Videl and the little robot, Gil, which had fused with the dragon radar. Pan was getting frustrated now as she looked for the Dragonball the robot was insisting was there. Cries of 'Dragonball detected' kept getting called out, sometimes accompanied by an angry comment from Pan.

"Well they're definitely a lively pair." Gohan said in amusement. Videl nodded slowly, not really answering at all. Gohan looked over at his wife, a little concerned.

"You ok? You've been pretty quiet all through this trip." Gohan noted. Videl looked down.

"I just have a lot on my mind right now." She replied. Gohan looked slightly confused as he looked at his wife.

"What like?" he asked. Videl squirmed slightly.

"I just have something to tell you," she said. Gohan watched his wife carefully.

"Really? Well you know you can just tell me whatever it is." He replied and then noticed where Videl's hands were: resting a little below her stomach.

"Ok." She said and left Gohan waiting for her to finish.

"Well…what is it?" he asked, starting to smile.

"I'm pregnant." She said in a quiet voice. Gohan let the information sink in and then started grinning like the Cheshire cat. He quickly wrapped her up in a hug.

"That's great Videl! Wow, we're going to be parents again, this is great." he said, unable to stop grinning. Videl even started to smile.

"Yes, it is but there's something…" she started and Gohan pulled away.

"What? There isn't anything wrong with you or it, is there?" he asked, looking very concerned.

"No, we're both healthy. Super even. I'm more worried about what's going on." She said. Gohan looked puzzled as he listened.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, things just seemed messed up right now. First Goku gets wished into a kid, then Goten goes ape then Goku gets a trip to hell and starts having panic attacks. Then there is the whole super 17 and Bebi messes. And look at the Dragonballs!" she opened up the bag she was holding that contained six Dragonballs, and then lifted up the one star ball. It had fine cracks running across its surface.

"They look broken and this has never happened before! It's making me worried. What if things carry on this way and our baby has to fight young just like you did? What if its childhood is just as bad as ours was?" she asked. Gohan watched Videl carefully through her little outburst and wrapped her into a hug as soon as she was done.

"I won't let that happen. I'll make sure our baby will have a perfectly normal childhood. Or at least as normal as a saiyan kid can have. Besides, this could be a good omen. A sign telling us that the future isn't all the bleak after all." He told her and Videl nodded into his chest.

"The point is that I'm going to make sure that things will be alright. I made this promise when Pan was born and I'm making it again." He added and then kissed Videl affectionately just to get the point across that everything will be ok.

"Aha! I've got it! The four star Dragonball!" Pan started yelling from the other end of the field whilst the little robot circled her head repeatedly, panicking from her out burst.

Gohan and Videl then hurried over to their daughter to see what she was so excited about. Pan held up the ball as they approached. Gohan took the ball from her and frowned down at it.

It glowed almost weakly as it got close to the others, a soft orange glow that illuminated all of their faces in the growing dark. But riddled across the polished orange surface were fine cracks that ran all over. Gohan continued to frown as his eyes followed the cracks.

"That makes seven and they're all cracked." He muttered.

"Is this bad?" Pan asked as she watched her father handle the ball. Gohan looked down at her.

"We'll see. Lets go home." He replied and then picked up his wife and led the way home, trying to push the mysterious cracks out of his mind for the moment.

* * *

A/N: who was expecting that? Hopefully that was at least a little surprising.

Reviews:

Chris: good idea, I'll have to remember that in some later chapters, but it'll be a while though. And the evil dragons are coming, see –points to DBs-

Rejhan: yea, Goku kinda has a problem with that. It's a good thing Marron can help out (telling him the best way to approach the situation and where Goten would be (he'll be kinda mad after that…))

Super saiyan 4 chichi: so you like the Goku involved stuff? –Blank stare- that's what most people were complaining about on GT forums…oh well, your opinion. Hope you enjoy this one.

Chico: heh, which should be how Goku should be…the cleaver yet clueless part. He was just plain weird in GT…   
well it was Goku that had to talk to Goten; Marron could only bring them together. Goku had to talk out the problem. Least they finally had a talk that didn't involve Goten storming off…-sweat drop-

Trugeta: I wasn't up that late, was I? Meh, can't remember…   
The gang do need to train but there was a point that I was trying to get across but I guess I didn't do all that well. The point was that they're all busy and haven't got all the time in the world to go off and train like Goku and Vegeta do. That's the problem with being part of the world; you need to work in it to live in it, or something like that.   
Wait…why would I kill Piccolo? –Really confused and blank stare- He's explaining guy, I'd have to be stupid to kill him off like GT did…

Well that's all for today, guys. Dragon saga really does start next chapter. Was going to start it today but ended up thinking that then the next one would be to short…oh well. –little Britain voice- Good nigh!


	26. chapter 25: imbalance

Can I just say that I'm really annoyed at ff.nright now? I could have gotten this posted up around 11:00 Saturday morning (early). But it seems to be letting me do it now so I'm updating.

**Chapter 25: imbalance**

It was early in the morning and west city was just starting to start its usual busy day. People all over the city were just starting to go to work and earn their keep, except for the occupants of one building in the heart of the city.

Bulma bit her lip as she stared down at the seven cracked Dragonballs. For the first time in a very long while, she was stumped. She had always thought that the Dragonballs were next to impossible to break. They had gone through so much wear and tear over the years and still remained to appear in perfect condition. She just couldn't understand what had happened to make all seven balls – which had all been in separate parts of the planet and had probably not been gathered for roughly 20 years – get this damaged. And she wasn't the only one.

"How could they be broken? They've been scattered before as well as dropped from cliffs, buried and probably worse done to them. How could they possibly be broken?" Goku asked, confusion written all over his face.

"I don't know, dad. This is how we found them." Gohan replied.

"Will they still work?" Marron asked from her spot between Goten and her mother. Bulma shrugged.

"I honestly have no idea. This is the first time this has happened." She replied.

Silence filled the grounds of C.C as everyone contemplated this. Goku took this time to look round at the others to try and work out what they thought. Trunks, Goten, Marron and 18 were all up against one wall with thoughtful expressions on their faces as they tried to make sense of what was going on. Bra and Pan stood a little way to Trunks's right, staring at the Dragonballs. Then the rest of the adults were gathered in front of the Dragonballs, except for Vegeta, who was training, and Uub who was spending some time with his family. Then Zara was set away from the group, seemingly not paying much thought on the Dragonballs. Goku couldn't figure out what she was thinking but he decided that the problem at hand was more important then one girl distancing herself from all of her friends.

"Well…we'll never know if they're ok if we don't at least try them." Goten said slowly and Goku turned to look at his son.

"Goat boy has a point there, we'll never know if no one summons Shenron and we won't be able to help anybody, let alone Krillen." Pan added, earning a growl from her uncle. Everyone else, except Zara, looked at one another.

"Well it is a good point." Goku pointed out and Bulma nodded.

"So it's decided then. We'll carry on." She said and stepped up to the Dragonballs and raised her hands over them.

"Rise almighty Shenron and grant me my wish!" she yelled and the sky instantly began to grow an unnatural black, leaving the horizon with a small line of light, signifying that it was still daytime.

_Well, so far so good…_the aged scientist thought as she stared up at the sky. As if in answer to this thought, the Dragonball's glow began to falter. Their soft glow flickered and then completely disappeared, confusing all of the spectators. And then the really weird thing occurred.

Thick smoke slowly began to spew from the balls, leaking out of the cracks and threatening to suffocate. Some of the gang covered their mouths whilst the others started coughing and Goku noticed the smoke beginning to take form. It happened almost exactly like how Shenron usually appeared, the smoke gathered together and shot upwards but the dragon that formed from it was not Shenron.

Instead of green scales, this one had a dark blue with black tuffs of hair on its head. It also had large wings and looked somewhat uglier then Shenron. The gang could only stare up at it in a mixture of confusion and awe.

The dark dragon stretched its wings out and its long – at least compared with Shenron's – arms.

"That's better. It was starting to get cramped in there." It said in a gruff voice, not really noticing the small group beneath it.

Pan was the first to get over the shock of this new dragon.

"Hey! Um…aren't we supposed to be getting two wishes right about now?" she asked. The dragon then turned its head to look at the small girl. It blinked a few times as it realised that it wasn't as alone as it had thought and then lowered its head.

"The dragon that grants the wishes doesn't live here anymore." It said before breathing out a large puff of smoke that made Pan cough and splutter.

"Oh yea? Then where is he? Where is Shenron?" Goku asked as his eldest son checked on Pan. The dragon turned its large head to look at the hero and laughed, smoke rings escaping from its lips with every laugh. Then its laughter just suddenly stopped and the dragon looked at Goku seriously.

"Shenron can't come to the wisher right now, but you should know all about that. After all, you can't be so stupid as to use something as powerful as Dragonballs without knowing the risks." The dragon replied and then gathered up the seven cracked Dragonballs in one hand.

"What are you talking about? There aren't any risks? Are there?" Gohan asked as he stepped forward. The dragon again laughed and sent a downpour of smoke onto the group.

"Aren't any risks? Everything has risks! Nothing is without them. You should know this. You can't over use something and not expect it to go 'wrong'." He answered and swallowed the Dragonballs as if they were some kind of headache pill.

"Hey! What are you doing? You can't eat the Dragonballs!" Pan yelled frantically. The dragon gave her a death glare and then spat out seven smoke dragons that each held a Dragonball in its mouth. Each of these smoke dragons flew off in different directions.

"It's a consequence. Life is full of them and this is the Dragonball's. You'll have to deal with them now" the dragon replied and slowly began to break apart in small wisps of smoke.

"Deal with who?" Goku called out.

"Why the seven evil dragons that were born from your wishes of course. Have fun now." The dragon replied and then was gone.

"Wait! My father…" Marron called out and ran forward but she was too late and ended up being supported by Goten. The others all stared in silence at the spot where the dragon had been.

"What was that?" Trunks asked as he stepped forward.

"Nothing good. I could sense those other dragons before they left. This isn't good." Gohan replied.

"Looks like the next threat is here." Goku added.

"It's a bit worse then that." Someone commented and the group turned round to see a familiar green man standing near the entrance of the building.

"Piccolo! Hey!" Goku greeted the Namek.

"And in the flesh too. No disembodied voice to converse with. What brings you here?" Gohan added. Piccolo only nodded his head in a greeting and cut straight to the chase.

"We're in trouble."

"Well what's new? We already got the memo." Bulma replied.

"Not this part." He replied and walked to the centre of the group.

"The point is that for a while now Dende and I have been sensing a growing problem here on earth. I got a larger feel of it whilst I was trying to free Goku from hell. There was a thin veil of evil energy enveloping the earth that was unnoticeable then. It only made communicating off the planet and my little transfer a little harder. But once you released the dragon, the veil got stronger and now it looks like it will be nearly impossible to communicate off world." He explained.

"Wait, what does that mean?" Goku asked.

"_It means that you all are complete idiots, Baka!_" a telepathic voice cut in, startling everyone.

"_Elder, please. They didn't know any better._" A second voice added.

"_Goku, this is Kibito kai. I have some information to give you regarding the dragons you've encountered. Something immensely evil is on earth and is blocking us here in other world from helping. We can only communicate with you because we are the top Kais but its difficult even for us. _" The second voice continued. The group on earth were still confused.

"What do you mean? What's going on here?" Bulma asked, growing frustrated.

"_Its what the dragons do. They cause chaos on whatever planet they're on and then use their evil energy to extinguish all life. It's already started. I believe Piccolo has a better understanding of this then I do._" Kibito replied and everyone turned to look at the Namek who sighed before talking.

"Look, ever since I fused with Kami, I, or we, have been regaining some of the memories that we lost when we first split. So don't get mad at me for not telling you what might happen before now because I only just remembered."

The crowd only stared at him in reply so Piccolo decided to press on.

"The Dragonballs are very delicate things. Whenever you make a wish, a small amount of good energy is used up to grant it. This means that if they are over used then the evil energy inside them will build up and eventually be released. That's why the Dragonballs need time to become balanced once more." He explained.

"But we do give it time. They need a year to regenerate, right?" Goten asked and Piccolo shook his head.

"It's more complicated then that. The Dragonballs first need to regain their strength before they can work on their balance. The problem is that once they can start working on their energy balance, they can also grant wishes again. You see it actually takes from a decade up to a century to make the Dragonballs balanced again but since we use the Dragonballs a little too much-"

"The good and evil energies couldn't get balanced again and we just released it all." Gohan finished, a shocked look on his face.

"_Exactly! Which means that you are all idiots! I warned you not to use them! I told you that they mess with the natural order and you didn't listen. So it's your own fault if those dragons destroy your planet! Or Bulma's. I haven't decided yet._" The elder Kai broke in, causing everyone to look up and Bulma to growl.

"Hey! How is this only my fault?" she yelled.

"_Because it was you who created the dragon radar and made all of this possible! _" The elder kai shot back

"WHAT? Of all the nerve! This is not my fault! All I did was think of the earth! (Well after the whole boyfriend thing) and I would never have gathered the Dragonballs with out Goku's help! I was only a weak teenager! It would have only of been a little fantasy if I had never met Goku! Blame him!" she yelled, making nearly everyone face vault and Goku look confused.

"My fault?" he asked. Bulma turned round and glared at him.

"Yes your fault. Not mine. YOU HEAR THAT OLD MAN?" she yelled up at the sky.

"Mother, please. You're yelling at one of the most powerful gods in other world." Trunks said, exasperated. Bulma only ignored him after a quick 'that's no excuse.'

Goku stepped forward.

"Hey, if Bulma's right and it is my fault then I want to fix it. Where's Gil?" everyone turned to stare at Goku.

"What? Why do you need him?" Chichi asked as she stepped forward.

"Simple. Each of those dragons have a Dragonball, right? I just need the dragon radar to find them and since Gil is it now I need him." Goku explained and took a step forward. Zara got stepped into his way.

"Wait, you're not planning on going alone, are you?" she asked.

"Well kind of. It is my fault after all." He replied, blinking. Zara shook her head.

"Its not your fault. We've all gone on Dragonball hunts or used them. We're in this together so we'll solve it together. Shifting blame is just pointless and so is you doing it alone." She told him. Goku blinked again and then frowned.

"Zara, I don't know. You guys might not be ready yet. After all, you guys couldn't handle Bebi and Super 17, what makes this any different?" he asked.

"We got a feel for them before they scattered, that's what. There are only three to really be concerned with and the rest we should all be able to handle." She replied.

"You don't know that." Goku shot back.

"You don't know either." She shot back. Goku stared at her, exasperated, and then watched as Gohan stepped up behind Zara.

"She has a point. Maybe we can help, even if it is only reconnaissance. At least it will be something." He added and Goten stepped up next to him.

"Come on dad, you were saying that you wanted us to be able to defend the earth. This is as good a place as any to start." He pointed out. Goku stared thoughtfully at them and then at the others that were watching.

"But we only have one radar. Only one of us will be able to find the dragons." He pointed out. Bulma snapped her fingers at this.

"Oh! I have the perfect thing for this situation!" she exclaimed and then ran to her lab. Everyone else blinked and then decided to follow.

Soon everyone was gathered round a large console in the lab and Vegeta had joined them after being pulled out of training by Zara and having the situation explained to him.

"Ok guys, here is my ingenious solution to your little problem. With my idea you will all be able to split up and find your dragon before any serious damage can be done. So get ready to applaud me!" Bulma said happily. Vegeta growled.

"Get to the point. I'm losing training time over this." He snapped and Bulma frowned at him before turning to the console.

"Its simple really. I will be instructing you guys on where to go from here." She explained.

"Um…how are you going to do that? You can't sense us, Bulma, so you won't know if we find the dragons." Goku pointed out. Bulma gave him a smirk.

"Won't I?" she asked and then turned round, "Gil! Come here and bring the security project with you!"

Everyone stared at Bulma in confusion and a moment later the tiny robot floated over pushing a tray with a sheet over it, hiding the contents.

"Thank you Gil." Bulma said as the robot settled in the control panel. Bulma then wired him up to it.

"Onna, you're trying my patience." Vegeta said from the side and Bulma glared at him.

"Well get more, I'm nearly done." She snapped and then finished plugging in Gil. She then turned on the screen and a large map appeared on it with seven white dots scattered over it and eight blue dots clumped together in the centre of west city.

"There we go. This is how I'm going to track you guys. I might not have power levels and so forth on here but it'll tell me your positions." She explained. The others all looked over the map.

"So what are those blue dots?" Goku asked. Bulma smirked and walked over to the tray.

"They are these." She explained and swept up the sheet. Underneath it were eight head sets with microphones attached on.

"You see I was doing a project for a security company. They wanted an updated communication system so I made these. The reception is great and I'll be able to still talk to whoever wears them no matter where they are on the planet. And then I added in some tracking devices so I will be able to track you and guide you towards the dragons. I'm just receiving their signals and the Dragonball's signals and showing them both on one map." She explained.

"Wow, you did it again, Bulma. This'll help a lot." Gohan exclaimed and picked up a headset. He looked over it and then put it on. Goku walked up and did the same.

"And it's a good fit too." He commented and the others all followed. Vegeta hung back and Goku noticed.

"Don't you want one Vegeta?" he asked.

"And have the onna be able to yell literally in my ear? No way. I'm going to find the dragon on my own." He replied and then left the lab. Bulma let out an exasperated sigh and Bra picked up a headset.

"I'll make sure he gets it." She said before following her father.

Gohan looked over at Piccolo who was making his way to the door.

"Hey, aren't you going to need one?" he asked. Piccolo sighed and shook his head.

"I'll be out of my league. I can't keep up with a super saiyan two and the weakest of these dragons seemed to be at that level. I'll have to return to the lookout and watch." He replied and then left. Gohan sighed. He felt sorry for his old mentor, it must have been frustrating for him to finally be able to keep up with a super saiyan and then have it taken away when Gohan ascended to the level above. Now most of the saiyans were light years ahead of him…

"Well if Piccolo isn't going to join in then I better get Uub." Goku said and raised his fingers to his forehead. He then noticed a frown flicker across Goten's face.

"Err…that isn't a problem, is it?" Goku asked and Goten plastered a fake Son grin on his face.

"No dad, why would it be? You just run off and get Uub…" he said and then grabbed a head set and left. Goku sighed and Pan picked up two headsets.

"Don't worry grandpa, I'll get Uub." She said softly and then took off as well.

Trunks scooped up his headset and then looked up for Zara, hoping to pair off with her and talk. He just caught sight her leaving with a headset. Trunks sighed and then felt a hand clasp his shoulder.

"Hey, whatever happened, it'll probably be best to let her cool off a bit more. I'll pair off with you," the voice belonging to the hand said: Gohan. Trunks nodded and let the older saiyan steer him out of the door.

Goku watched everybody leave and then turned to everyone else.

"Thanks Bulma, bye guys. We'll try and get back in time for lunch!" he announced and then left along with the others.

The others all held back and the same thought all went through their minds.

_Good luck you guys and be careful._

A/N: meh, only a filler really but it is the more official start of the dragon saga. Hopefully you like my new little twist: everyone going against their own dragon instead of just Goku and Pan. Now everyone gets focused on in the up coming dragon pounding chapters.

Reviews:

Erica: yep, new saga with new twists. Hope you like.

Trugeta: that is a mystery, isn't it? Goku should have taught the others IT. The only reason I can think of as to why he didn't is that he didn't want anyone else spoiling his fun. He had a pretty good tool to use to annoy Vegeta and the others with so teaching them that would be kinda like giving it up. The others would easily be able to get him back. Makes some sense, after all, Goten has to get the whole pranking thing from someone…  
and yes, Trunks messed up. He's lucky he's cute really…

Son Oliver: um…ok. Well the baby thing doesn't really work like that in real life so I didn't really notice that before…you'll just have to wait and see what I do, you might be surprised –shifty eyes-. Same for the ssj4 thing, and I have a few explanations on my side. –Sweat drop-

Chico: glad you liked. Didn't think that people would expect those things. And I still have some more surprises up my sleeve that apparently are a little more obvious…

Well I'm all done. Come back next weekend to see Pan and Uub and Dragon number uno. Bye.


	27. chapter 26: the first

**Chapter 26: the first **

The sky seemed to shimmer as Pan flew under it. It looked as though the northern lights had taken over the whole sky and she probably would have thought it beautiful if it weren't for the evil energy she could sense from it.

_And we did it by over using seven little balls. _She thought. She also noticed that it was slowly getting stronger and all anyone could do about it was Hope that defeating the dragons would make everything alright.

Pan must have been about halfway to Uub's village when she noticed the far-off figure coming towards her. She grinned when she sensed him.

"Uub! Hey! Over here!" she yelled and sure enough he changed course to meet her.

"Pan? I was just flying out to meet you guys! What's going on?" he called when he got close enough. Pan grimaced at him and tossed him his headset.

"A lot. Put that on and Bulma will explain. We have a dragon to find." She replied and Uub complied.

A few moments later and Uub had gotten all the necessary information about the Dragonballs creating evil dragons and the evil energy that was enveloping earth. Now he and Pan were heading to a small lakeside village as Bulma had instructed.

"So I guess a lot has happened since I went home. Anything else I should know?" Uub asked Pan as they sped along. Pan shrugged before answering.

"Goten isn't as mad at grandpa Goku anymore and Grandpa also had his first panic attack as well. That's about it I think."

Uub blinked then smiled.

"Well that's good to hear, the Goten part that is. Nice to know he's calmed down. Your dad told me what had happened with those two so it's pretty good to hear them patch things up a bit." He replied. Pan looked at him thoughtfully.

"What did dad tell you anyway?" she asked. Uub looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Just a brief summary really. He said that Goku sometimes left in order to either better himself or protect everybody. It had burned Gohan and Chichi pretty badly in the past but they always understood to an extent but when Goku left with me, it was Goten's first time with handling Goku leaving. He didn't understand it that well. You know, Goku had told me that he had agreed to train me because I could be a real challenge to fight but I did suspect that there was something more. He probably didn't want to scare me by saying how destructive I could be if I didn't learn. It's a shame Goten didn't realise that right away but then I can't blame him for taking Goku the wrong way." Uub replied and Pan nodded to show she was listening. She had never thought that Uub could be that talkative for some reason.

_**"Hey Guys, sorry to break up the little discussion but you're closing in on the dragon's position. You better get focused, you're practically on top of him."**_ Bulma's voice cut in through the headsets. Pan and Uub exchanged glances and then ascended down onto a small path that followed the river to the lake. They both immediately covered their noses when they got down there.

"What the heck is that stench?" Pan asked, her eyes watering. Uub frowned and then pointed at the river's odd colour.

"Maybe that." He replied and Pan noticed the dead fish floating on the top.

"Argh, great. Looks like we hit pollution central!" she exclaimed. Uub was inclined to agree.

_**"Come on you guys, get serious! The dragon is really close by!"**_ Bulma's voice cut in again and no sooner had she finished, the two warriors had to take to the air again as a large group of villagers ran past screaming.

"Guess Bulma's right." Pan said flatly as she landed. She was going to complain to Bulma about getting serious in fowl stenches but now there wasn't much point.

Uub grinned at the younger girl and started leading the way towards the village.

"Come on, we better check this out. The chances are that it's the dragon that's killing the fish." He said.

"Well then he should stop taking baths in the lake." She replied, earning a laugh from Uub as she hurried to take the lead.

They followed the river through the now deserted village and then to the lake. There was a small beach next to what seemed to be a harbour and that's where they stopped.

"Well, where is it? I don't see any dragons." Pan commented as she looked out onto the murky waters.

"Neither do I and it really doesn't help that all of these dragons are suppressing their ki signatures. I can't get a lock on." Uub added.

_**"Well I can and I can tell you that the dragon is about 50metres in front of you and closing."**_ Bulma told them. Pan looked startled and Uub sunk into a stance in preparation.

"But that means he's in the water!" Pan exclaimed.

"Yea, guess you were right about the bath thing." Uub replied.

"Its not nice to joke about me." A forth voice commented. Both Uub and Pan looked round for its source as Pan matched Uub's stance. They then noticed a trail of bubbles sliding across the water before the surface broke and a head that resembled a frog's rose out of the water.

"It upsets me and you won't like it when I'm upset." It continued as it rose out of the water. It had green skin and a yellow under belly as well as black spikes running down it's back, on its elbows and head. Sharp teeth hung out, over its lips and it had a short, green tail. Finally, a dragon ball seemed to be stuck in its forehead only it was stained purple with its two stars tainted black.

"So I take it that you're the dragon that's supposed to be around here." Pan asked, calming down a little as she managed to sense his energy.

"Yes I am. I'm Haze Shenron, born from the wish Son Goku made many years ago to resurrect the guardian of Korin tower's base. And I'm the strongest of the seven dragons-" he was interrupted there by a giggle from Pan. Haze's commanding stature failed as he nearly face vaulted and he glared at the saiyan girl.

"What's so funny?" he snapped and Pan smirked up at him.

"Its just that when you and the other dragons all got spit out, we could sense you. It may have only been a glimpse but it was enough to work out who was the strongest," she explained and then turned to Uub's perplexed face, "and we got landed with the weakest."

Haze huffed at this and continued to glare at Pan.

"I am not the weakest!" he snapped.

"Oh yea? I could probably beat you without even transforming." Pan replied. The dragon growled deeply at her, his glare narrowing.

"Why don't we test that theory?" he asked and then faded out of view. Pan grinned before raising her hand and firing a blast in what seemed like a random direction. After it exploded, the dragon fell to the floor and Pan flew towards him.

Uub blinked as he watched them and slowly a droplet of sweat ran down the side of his head.

_Why am I here again?_ He wondered and watched as Pan fought the dragon.

Pan kicked the dragon across the length of the large lake and then appeared in front of him. She punched Haze across the face and entered a five hit combo of punches then kicked him hard in the jaw, sending him flying up high where she met him and double fisted him back into the water.

Haze swam back to the beach, bruised and breathless.

_Ok, maybe this wasn't the brightest idea I ever had…_ he thought before a pair of trainers stepped in front of him. Haze looked up weakly to see Pan smirking over him. He growled and jumped to his feet and swung a clawed hand at him that she dodged before sending her fist into his exposed gut. He gasped and then sent a volley of punches her way, all of which she lazily dodged before he threw a beam of energy that she slapped back. He raised his arms to defend himself and after it had exploded, she appeared directly in front of him and kicked him over the lake again. Once he was over it, she continuously hit him towards another part of the lake and met him there just to do the same again and there was nothing Haze could do about it.

Then he felt it. Her blows were getting weaker and she was slowing down. He smirked.

Pan was about to kick haze to the other side of the lake again, completely unaware that her power was slipping, when Haze twisted round and landed punch on her jaw that sent her flying backwards. Haze grinned evilly and grabbed Pan's foot and flung her towards the beach, blasting her as she sailed towards it. Pan cried out when it hit her and just managed to re-gain her wits when Haze appeared over her. She blocked his punch but he then punched her in the gut and kicked her to the side. She growled as she landed cat-like and then lunged at him, flinging as many attacks as she could muster at him, all of which Haze dodged almost lazily before kneeing her as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Pan doubled over and then found her face in the dirt after Haze slammed his elbow into her back. She growled as she lifted herself painfully up but Haze kicked her towards Uub, who caught her. Pan pushed herself out of his grasp and let out a frustrated scream as she powered up, her hair turning golden, her muscle mass growing and her eyes turning teal as she went super but as soon as the changes came, they were gone again and she fell to her knees gasping.

"Wh-what? H-how?" she asked between breaths and Haze Shenron began to laugh.

"Simple, I am the dragon of pollution. I have been polluting this environment ever since I landed here and my pollution has a very pleasurable side affect. You see it drains the energy of everything it comes into contact with except for me. Fighting me just sped up the process." He explained as he continued to laugh. Pan's eyes widened.

"No…" she whispered as it dawned on her. She wasted her energy and now there was no way she could beat him.

Footsteps filled the air as Haze walked confidently towards Pan.

"You've been most entertaining but I'm afraid that I most dispose of you now. I think a dip in a pollution bath would finish the job nicely." He said and stopped right in front of her. Pan growled and shakily got to her feet, tossing her arm lamely towards the dragon in a punch that he caught.

"Goodbye." He said wickedly and then tossed her over his shoulder and into the heavily polluted water of the lake.

"No! Pan!" Uub yelled and dived in after her. Haze watched and blinked.

"Suicidal fool." He muttered.

Uub swam straight towards where he could feel Pan's ki diminishing. He mentally cursed as he picked up the pace, finding it difficult to see anything in the murky water.

_I shouldn't have let her fight him alone! I should have fought him and finished it off quickly! If she's not all right then I'll never forgive myself…_he thought and then noticed a large, human shaped shape in front of him and he smiled. It was Pan and soon he was holding on to her arm and trying to swim up to the surface.

But he wasn't going fast enough.

He was actually sinking.

_No…all of this pollution has gotten to me to. I can't…speed up…_he thought and tried powering up but his aura simple dispersed into the murky water. Soon he found himself on a rock at the bottom of the lake with his eyes starting to get heavy. He slowly fell to his knees whilst still holding Pan.

_Must…get…up…so tired…_he thought and then noticed something. A small stream of bubbles was escaping through the gaps in the rocks beneath him with a few small fishes swimming between them. And with them was clean water.

_I wonder…_he moved Pan so that her head was right next to the bubbles. A matter of seconds later and her eyes fluttered open. Uub's theory was right! The clean water washed away the affects of the pollution. It hadn't completely restored her strength but it was enough to weaken the pollution's affects.

Pan gestured a 'what's going on' with her hands after Uub managed to stop her from breathing in the water. Uub raised his hand to gesture 'wait a moment' before he lowered himself to the same spot he had put Pan in. he felt the pollution's affect dull and then offered his hand to Pan and placed his middle and index finger on his forehead. She caught on instantly and grabbed his hand. He wanted to instant translocate to the surface to save them from being affected by the lake's pollution again.

Uub grinned and then they had both disappeared.

Haze hadn't gone very far since Uub and Pan had gone into the lake. He was busy working out how he was going to expand his territory when he heard something behind him. He looked confused and slowly turned round to see Uub and Pan floating over the lake with smug expressions on their faces. Haze nearly had a heart attack when he saw them.

"What? You should be dead by now!" he yelled at them.

"Well we would have been but it looks like the lake had an underwater supply of water as well as the river. Looks like fresh water is the perfect cure." Uub replied calmly.

"So now we think that we'll finish you off and take back the Dragonball now." Pan finished and both warriors pulled back their hands.

"Ka…me…ha…me…" they said in union.

"NO! Wait!" Haze cried.

"HA!" they fired their beams at the exact same moment and the two beams spiralled round one another to make one larger beam that hurtled towards Haze Shenron. The dragon could only raise his hands in a lame defence but it didn't stop the beam cutting through as if he were butter. When the blast faded, all that was left was a slightly singed Dragonball. Pan rushed down to get it whilst Uub watched her, making sure that he couldn't sense the dragon anymore. Pan picked up the ball and ran her eyes over it.

"Hey Uub! Look!" she called and held up the ball so that he could see it. It turned back to an orange colour in front of them and the two stars became red again.

"Its back to normal." She exclaimed and Uub turned back to the lake to see if that would change to. It didn't seem like anything had changed.

"I guess that will take a while to fix naturally." He sighed.

_**"Never mind that now you two, you better get that Dragonball back here. It shouldn't take long for the others to finish off the rest of the dragons."**_ Bulma told them through the headsets. Uub and Pan shared a glance and Pan smirked.

"Race ya!" she chirped and then flew off with the Dragonball. Uub laughed and chased after her, pushing all thoughts of the other dragons to the back of his mind for the mean time.

* * *

A/N: and I'm done! –Shifty eyes looking out for anyone else who dares interrupt before I can post- 

Ok, not many changes there plot wise but it's kinda different. Meh, I need more time off to get through the next three dragons…-grumbles-

Reviews:

Erica: yep, everyone is looking for there own dragon, some just happen to be in a group of 2. Glad ya like.

Super saiyan 4 chichi: well, it's not that much of a new invention. It was really the only way I could think to have everyone be able to track the dragons without brining out several new radars.

Chico: yea, she's not cooled down yet. And glad you liked my twist! There should only be two obvious pairings with the dragons but that might just be me…

Trugeta: I could never understand that either. Why only try and help against Omega Shenron instead of all of them? So that's why I changed the plot a bit. Well that and now I have a chapter focusing on a different group rather then a bunch of chapters focused on Goku saving Pan in each one. Hopefully it's a little better.

Rejhan: glad you liked, here's the update.

Son Oliver: well you didn't review but I want to say something to you anyway. 1) I managed to fit in a little explanation about what Gohan told Uub like you wanted & 2) this chapter might be able to count as punishment for Pan for being so brattish. Hope you enjoyed!

So next time we have Rage Shenron against ?. See you next Saturday.


	28. chapter 27: high voltage

**Chapter 27: high voltage**

North city was now completely deserted. Not a single person seemed to be left in the northern capital, at least that's what it seemed to a certain demi-saiyan.

Son Goten wondered down the high street, trying to sense the dragon that was supposedly lurking in the city. He paused to stare at the pink slime on the lampposts and other random objects and then dismissed them as he concluded that what ever they were, they were in active. He shrugged off his concerns and walked up to a drinks machine.

_Well either the radar is on the blink or I'm going to be up against the dragon of useless slime._ He thought as he bought a soda and tried to wipe a little of the slime off of his gi. He had gone home to quickly change into Gohan's old hand-me-down gi, a dark blue one that resembled Piccolo's outfit. He knew that Trunks and Gohan had gone and changed into something similar and Goten was now glad that he had. The slime had surprisingly gotten everywhere.

_Well if dad keeps up all of his promises then I might be back in orange soon._ He thought and then frowned.

_Then again he's still in a hurry to get Uub. I haven't got anything against that guy anymore but it still feels like dad would rather have him as a son, especially when he's in a big hurry to get him, like back at C.C._ Goten sighed and leant back against the drinks machine. It was hard to just get over what his father had put him and his family through over the years.

The sky had gotten cloudy fast. Large, grey clouds were continuing to roll across the sky, blocking out the aurora. Something Goten was actually pleased with. Seeing the sky lit up like that was a little unnerving.

"But now it looks like its gonna rain." He commented just as a loud screeching made pain flash through his ear.

**_"Goten! The dragon is right by you! You're practically on top of it!" _**Bulma's voice yelled and Goten sunk into a stance as he tried to shake off the ringing in his ears.

All was quiet in the city and Goten couldn't see anything that could possible prove a threat. Only the odd, pink slime seemed out of place in the city. There wasn't anything else that could possibly signify mortal peril.

Footsteps filled the air and Goten adjusted his stance as he focused on the growing shadows that were being cast from something round the corner. The footsteps grew closer and an elderly couple rounded the corner. Goten blinked several times before straightening up. Apparently he had been wrong in assuming that the dragon had scared everybody off. He was also surprised that he had missed them in his sweeps of the city.

"See, I told you that there was bound to be someone left." The old woman said to her husband, who only grunted in response. Goten rubbed his head nervously as he stared at them.

"Um, hello. I didn't think anyone else was here either." He greeted them. The old man grunted again.

"Well you shouldn't be and neither should we. There's a monster at bay and if you were smart then you'd leave before it found you," he snapped and his wife nudged him gently.

"Be nice." She told him before turning to Goten.

"You'll have to excuse him, he missed out on his mourning coffee thanks to that…monster." She sighed and then smiled at Goten again, "you see this creature showed up here several hours ago and began terrorising everyone. It killed most of the people here and the rest fled. We're all that's left, although not for long. We've packed up and are leaving and it'll probably be for the best if you do the same. It would be a shame if a nice young man like yourself were hurt but that thing." She explained. Goten smiled nervously at them.

"I'm stronger then I look." He assured them and the woman nodded.

"Well then I hope that you're strong enough. I've never seen a creature quite as powerful as the one that has come here." She looked down thoughtfully and then looked at Goten again, "Well we must be on our way. You maybe strong enough to take care of a monster but we're far from it. Goodbye." And the couple continued down the street. Goten watched them leave and then adjusted his headset so that he could talk into the microphone.

"Hey Bulma, you sure the dragon is close?" he asked.

"**_Very. The radar says that it's right behind you. Can't you see it?_**" was Bulma's reply. Goten turned to look behind him. He blinked several times and then laughed at what he saw, making Bulma think that he had snapped.

"That's the dragon? It looks like a fat chicken!" and sure enough it did.

Perched on a nearby post box sat a pink creature that looked like a bold bird with fine, long spikes running down it's back. It had a cream under belly and right where it's belly button should have been was a blue, five star dragon ball.

"Chicken? Who are you calling a chicken! I'm Rage Shenron! The most feared of the seven dragons!" the small creature yelled and Goten couldn't help cracking up again.

"Sorry, its just you barely reach past my knees and you really do look like a chicken…" Goten began but a low growl from Rage made him stop.

"I am not a chicken!" the pint sized dragon yelled, a large vein popping up on it's head and electric sparks crackling across it's body.

"Sorry! I'm just here for the Dragonball, that's all." The saiyan said, raising his hands defensively. Rage flexed his fists as he continued to glare.

"Rude, " he mumbled before speaking more clearly, "and you can't have my Dragonball! If you haven't noticed, I've grown rather attached to it. You'd have to kill me."

Goten shrugged, smirking lightly.

"That's not a problem." He replied coolly. Rage's vein bulged to twice the size at this.

"WHAT! How dare you! You'll regret underestimating me!" he screamed but Goten wasn't very impressed. The dragon growled deeply. Electricity flickered round its mouth before it opened up wide and a large stream of electricity shot out. Goten gasped and quickly shot into the air, barely avoiding the attack. The electricity hit a lamppost and made the bulb flicker on before exploding in a shower of glass. Goten stared at it before glaring at the dragon.

"Hey! That was uncalled for!" he yelled but the dragon didn't agree.

"I'll give you uncalled for!" Rage yelled before shooting of more of his electric attacks. Goten growled and transformed into a super saiyan before dodging them all. Rage was so consumed with trying to hit Goten that he didn't notice the hybrid phase out to the left and form a blast in his cupped hands.

"Ha!" Goten yelled and fired the blue beam at the little dragon. Rage noticed it at the last second and went wide eyed before it hit and sent him toppling into a wall. Goten smirked at his handy work.

"Now are you going to calm down and surrender like a good little dragon or am I going to have to get rough?" he asked, still smirking. Rage growled deeply and fell out of the wall, landing heavily on his butt but he quickly recovered.

"No way! You'll have to do more then a lucky shot to bring me down!" Rage declared but Goten looked sceptical. Rage frowned and then looked at all of the pink slime that was dotted over the buildings and lampposts.

"You're really about to regret insulting me! There's no way you're going to survive what I have in store for you." He quickly declared. Goten folded his arms across his chest.

"I doubt that. Just hurry up and attack, I want to hurry this up."

"Fine, but you'll regret it." Rage smirked and then raised a hand.

"Slime fusion!"

Immediately the slime began to spark of electricity before all of the pieces flew towards the dragon and latched on to him, increasing his strength and making him grow. Goten stepped back as he watched the monstrous dragon grow to the size of the nearby skyscrapers.

_This can't be good…_ he thought as he watched the dragon that was now being surrounded by electric sparks that were continuously flowing down his body.

"You look nervous. Good. Now let me explain a little about this slime. I spread it round the city to absorb all of the nearby electricity to convert into power for me to use. Rather like rechargeable batteries. That's what it does, soaks up all nearby energy sources. You see I knew that one of earth's great heroes would come and try to retrieve the Dragonballs. We all did so we've all decided to prepare and this is how I did. Now I'm more then capable to defeat your little hair changing trick." Rage explained. Goten blinked and then smirked again.

"So they were just gross batteries then? Right, well I'm not that worried. You maybe stronger then a super saiyan now but what about a level two?" he asked and ascended in a blink of an eye. Rage was not impressed.

"It looks like you're trying to copy me with the bolts, something I'll soon put right. Take this!" he yelled and shot a large electric bolt out of his hand. Goten raised his arms to defend and allowed it to hit him. He grimaced then looked up at the dragon.

"Maybe kinda numb but its not that bad really." Goten said calmly. The dragon growled.

"What was that? I'll teach you not to take me so lightly!" Rage yelled and began shooting bolt after bolt at Goten. The saiyan frowned and then started dodging. He ducked over one bolt and flew over another as he charged towards the dragon, fist raised. Goten swung his attack at the dragon and managed to impale Rage with his fist, right up to the elbow. Goten smirked until he realised that he was stuck.

"Baka, This body is made of the electric slime! You didn't hurt me! You just got stuck!" Rage laughed before he powered up slightly and electricity flowed down his body, shocking Goten.

Goten screamed in pain and began to raise his power. His screams got louder and then his aura burst outwards as he transformed into a sub super saiyan three. As soon as the changes in his appearance came, Goten had enough power to pull out of the beast's belly and back away. Rage sneered down at him.

"Do you really expect growing your hair out will help you defeat me?" he asked Goten smirked up at him.

"Obviously you can't sense ki 'cause otherwise you'd know that I'm stronger then you now!" he declared and quickly got into the familiar stance of his father.

"Ka…me…" he began to chant. Unfortunately Rage had other ideas.

"Oh no you don't!" he yelled and threw a large blob of slime down at the saiyan, instantly covering him in it. Goten gasped and struggled to get out, only to be shocked by the slime.

"Baka, didn't you hear my little explanation before? My slime takes power and now it'll do it to you!" Rage called to the saiyan. Goten growled as he felt the slim sapping away his strength and his hair slowly retuning to its original length. Moments later and his hair was black again and he was on his knees.

_Damn, He's right. I can't do anything like this; I'll need a miracle!_ Goten thought.

Luckily for him the sky chose that moment to open up. With a mighty rumble, rain began to pour down onto the city. Rage cried out in pain as the water hit him and his electricity began spark out of control.

"No! Not now! It can't rain now! Water will make me short circuit! Ahhh!" He yelled and quickly tried to lose his slime and get back to his original size so that he could get away from the water, all to no avail. Slime dropped off of him and Goten was released but Rage couldn't get away from the downpour. He gave out one last agonising scream before his electrical power when completely out of control and he exploded, slime raining down all over the city.

Goten smiled up at the rain clouds in relief before he decided to set to work on finding the Dragonball. Thanks to Bulma's help, the search only took a matter of minutes and when he found it, he also found a charred and badly injured Rage Shenron back in his original size.

"Damn you, you were just lucky then. I had you." Rage muttered as he watched Goten approach. Goten stared at the dragon and then cracked a smile.

"Yea you did. And it won't ever happen again." He told rage before he blasted the dragon away, leaving nothing but the Dragonball behind that was soon returned to its normal orange colour.

Goten picked it up and smiled at it before looking to the sky and wondering what was next…

* * *

A/N: ok, well there were more changes here then the last chapter. In GT, Rage could only use the slime to attack, here I made it so that it was only batteries and he could wield electricity without it. Thought it was better like that.

Reviews:

Darksupersaiyan: thanks, glad you liked my changes and I've got a few bigger things in mind for GT as well. & I read your story and it wasn't that bad for a first time. I know mine sucked when I first started, and yours is better.

Erica: well here it is, and it was Goten. That might have been a surprise.

Trugeta: thanks Tru. And I will take my time; its just all that I want to write isn't until the Eis Shenron fight and beyond. Trust me to want to skip ahead. –Exasperated sigh-

Chico: you mean Eis (ice) and Nuova (fire)? Well you'll probably be right for fire but ice should hopefully be a surprise. And thanks, making sure that an OC doesn't turn Mary sue is hard work. But Chico wasn't that bad…

Super saiyan 4 chichi: ok then, an idea. Well here's the next update, enjoy!

Well that's all done with; see you next week! Same dragon day, same dragon place!


	29. chapter 28: souls embodiment

**Chapter 28: souls embodiment **

The cracked and dry earth sped past Bra as she flew as quickly as she could, grasping the headset firmly in her hands. She was surprised that Vegeta had gotten this far a head of her. It was almost like he had known that she was following him and decided to try and avoid her. Although, as he was hunting a dragon, that seemed very likely. She was his little princess after all.

Bra continued to speed along until she could finally make out a figure floating clearly above the ground with her father's ki radiating off of it. As the young princess got closer, she could see that it was Vegeta and he looked more annoyed then usual.

She came to a halt in front of him and Vegeta frowned down at her.

"What do you think you're doing out here? You're supposed to be back at Capsule Corp with the others." He said a little harsher then he intended. Bra just held out the headset.

"Delivering this. It won't do you any good if it stays on mum's desk, now will it?" Bra replied innocently. Vegeta shifted his gaze momentarily to the headset.

"I do not need that thing to find me my dragon. It will only hinder me." He replied. Bra smiled at her father craftily and waved the headset slightly in front of him.

"Really? So you're not just floating out here because you have no idea where to find it then? Or have you already found it and have the Dragonball in your back pocket?" she asked. Vegeta growled.

"Don't get smart with me." He snapped, and then took the headset anyway. He glared deeply at it before putting it on.

"Onna-"

"_**Oh, look who it is who decided that he did need help. Nice to hear from you Vegeta, or is this just another way of you telling us that you're still too full of pride to accept given help?**_" Bulma's voice interrupted him. Vegeta growled again.

"Listen Onna, I just-"

"_**I've been pretty worried you know! I didn't know if you ran into a dragon and gotten yourself killed or not! You could of at least humoured me and took the blasted thing – even if you weren't going to use it – rather then just leaving it on the trolley! You can be really inconsiderate sometimes!**_"

Vegeta's eye twitched as Bulma continued to ramble on, he really didn't have enough time for this.

"_**And another thing-**_"

"Bulma! I'm sorry! Now shut up!" he yelled with a bizarre mixture of a smirk and a frown on his face – a smirk for actually rendering the 'onna' speechless and a frown for having to apologise in the first place.

"Now Onna, be good and tell me where the blasted dragon is before I really get annoyed." He added more calmly. Bulma decided to let his brash behaviour slide as she was still in shock. It wasn't very often that Vegeta said sorry or called her by name, much less in the same sentence like that. The Old Vegeta would have simply of destroyed the headset to avoid it…

"_**Ok, The dragon is about 12 miles west of you're current location.**_" She told him. Vegeta nodded and took off the headset and crushed it in his palm. He then turned west.

"You better go now." He told Bra and began to fly off. Bra followed him.

"Why? I can help out." She replied. Vegeta looked over his shoulder at her.

"No, you go home now. It will be too dangerous for me to have you on the field." He replied and sped up. Bra did the same.

"Aw, but dad! It won't be that bad! I am a super saiyan after all!"

"I said no! You're too in experienced and from what I've sensed from the others, the weakest of the dragons have been defeated. Your basic super saiyan form won't protect you. Go home." He snapped.

"Well how do you know super three will help you? We might be heading straight towards one of the big and scary powerful ones! A little extra help might make the difference!" she insisted.

"If it is one of the 'scary powerful', then it will be all the more reason for you to get out of here. You're too important to me and you'll only get in the way!" Vegeta snapped, making Bra stop dead in her tracks. Vegeta stopped as well and stared down at her.

"How exactly do you expect to help out anyway?" he asked heatedly. Bra sighed and looked down in defeat. That's when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

"I'll help be seeing stuff like that." She replied and pointed to what she had seen.

Behind Vegeta it looked as though something was tunnelling under the ground. And what ever it was, it must have been at least the size of a van. Vegeta turned to look at it and couldn't help lightly smirking. They had found his dragon.

"Bra, go home now!" Vegeta stated clearly before flying towards the dragon, ignoring his pouting teenage daughter.

The saiyan prince stopped above the tunnelling dragon and watched it closely. He raised his hand and created one small blast that hovered slightly above his open palm. Then, when the moment was right, Vegeta threw the blast at the tunnelling dragon and it exploded as soon as it had touched the ground. The tunnel caved in and a cloud of smoke and dust rose up. Vegeta watched it carefully and could just make out the outline of a creature coughing through it.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" a voice called out and as the dust and smoke settled, a creature the resembled a rodent came into view. It was a light purple in colour, with two black horns on top of its head. In the centre of its forehead was the blue, seven-star Dragonball.

Vegeta frowned down at the rodent like dragon.

"You are the dragon I'm supposed to defeat? What happened to green and scales?" he asked flatly and the dragon whirled round to glare at Vegeta.

"Hey! I bet it was you who hit me! What's wrong with you?" it yelled up at the saiyan.

"It's called a challenge. You have something I want so you can either cooperate or I can just kill you. Your choice." Vegeta replied and the dragon frowned.

"How about not? I don't fight. I prefer just going around and making earthquakes. If you want the Dragonball then you'll have a long wait." He replied and then turned to start digging again. Vegeta growled.

"Coward!" he yelled and the dragon turned back to face the prince.

"Hey! Naturon Shenron is not a coward! Naturon Shenron is actually really brave!" the dragon exclaimed.

"Well then stop talking in the third person and prove it!" Vegeta yelled before appearing directly in front of Naturon and kicking the dragon hard across the face. The dragon was completely shocked when it saw Vegeta's leg swinging towards him and it was a direct hit that sent Naturon flying and then skidding across the ground.

The dragon groaned loudly as it tried to get up, and then glared at the saiyan prince.

"Why you…" Naturon muttered before jumping to its feet and placing his hands flat on the ground. He powered up slightly before glaring at Vegeta.

"Take this!" he yelled before his energy pulsed. Vegeta was confused momentarily before he sensed something beneath him. The prince quickly sidestepped just as a beam of energy shot up from the earth's surface. Vegeta frowned at the close call and tilted his head towards Naturon.

"Interesting move you have there." He commented.

"Yea, well I'm not done yet!" Naturon replied and he began to send more blasts through the earth. Vegeta quickly sprang into action and jumped to the side as the first blast came up. The rest of the blasts followed him as he flew backwards, away from where he could sense the energy.

Naturon growled as he watched Vegeta dodge all of his attacks and focused on making one large blast. When it came out of the ground, it was the size of a city block and Vegeta had no time to try and dodge it like before as he was now in the centre of it.

Bra gasped as she watched her father be engulfed by the dark energy and Naturon laughed from his place on the ground. But as the light faded, the sight of super saiyan Vegeta floating casually above the ground greeted them both.

"My turn." Vegeta said calmly as a smirk spread across his face. He then spread his arms out in to his signature move.

"FINAL FLASH!" Vegeta yelled as he moved his arms in front of himself again and fired the blast. Naturon panicked as it sped towards him and raised his arms in a feeble attempt to block. Vegeta and Bra could only just make out Naturon's out line fade away as the blast hit him and when the blast dissipated, there was only the blue Dragonball left floating in place. It quickly fell to the floor and Bra flew over to her father.

"You did it! You defeated him!" she cheered. Vegeta stared at her with frowning teal eyes.

"I thought I told you to go." He said calmly. Bra shrugged.

"Come on dad, you know I wouldn't leave you alone out here. Besides, there's no real threat around when you're nearby to protect me." She said innocently and then turned to go and collect the ball. Vegeta smirked after her. She was definitely his daughter. But he was still uneasy. He could still sense the dragon's energy signature…

Bra picked up the Dragonball and looked over it curiously. It was still blue with a darker star and it was still cracked. She didn't understand it. From what she had heard from the headset, the other Dragonballs had all turned back to normal after the dragons were defeated.

She turned to her father and frowned up at him.

"Hey dad, something's not right here-"she started but was cut off when the Dragonball began to glow. At first she thought it was changing back but then she sensed Naturon's ki coming from the ball. She stared at it in confusion and then felt it sucking her in. she really began to panic when her fingers disappeared somewhere inside of the ball.

"DADDY!" she yelled and Vegeta snapped out of his thoughts to see his daughter being sucked into the Dragonball. The process was speeding up and her whole arm quickly disappeared.

Vegeta growled and quickly dived towards his daughter. He reached out his hand to grab her but he was too late. The ball pulsed with energy and sucked in the rest of her body in one go.

Vegeta halted in mid-air as laughter filled the air and slowly got louder. The Dragonball glowed brighter and around it a solid mass of flesh built up until Vegeta was staring up into the transformed face of Naturon Shenron. He was now twice the size and his colouring had changed from purple to aqua. His horns had grown out and he now had a neck reef with black spikes at the end. Then finally, the Dragonball reappeared in his forehead.

Vegeta glared into the slightly more human face of the evil dragon as it began to talk again.

"Well this is better. Who'd have thought one little girl could have so much power? Granted, my original plan was to merge with the z fighter that came after me before hunting down the others but the daughter of one will do nicely."

Vegeta growled as he watched the dragon and flared out his aura to get its attention.

"Hey! What did you do to my daughter?" he demanded and Naturon looked down at Vegeta with mild interest.

"Why, I am your daughter." He then said in a perfect impression of Bra before breaking down into hysterics.

"But seriously though, you can't have her back as she is apart of me now. Hey, I guess in a sense I'm pretty much her now." Naturon continued and laughed. He then saw Vegeta's deadly death glare and decided to quit joking around.

"Ok, look. I am the dragon of the earth. I have nifty little powers that help me to use that little element to my advantage and because of that the Dragonball grounds me. Get it? I am the Dragonball, the Dragonball is me and I can use it to absorb any living creature to help craft a body and to add any energy gained to my own. That's what happened to you daughter. She is in side of me, adding to my power and sustaining this form," the dragon explained. Vegeta growled deeply and raised his arms for another final flash attack.

"We'll see about that!" he proclaimed and powered up. Naturon just shock his head and index finger.

"Uh-uh, if you kill me then your daughter goes with me. And something tells me that you don't want that." He said craftily and Vegeta hesitated.

He couldn't kill Bra. She meant the most to him. She represented all the changes he had under gone since the birth of his son, beyond that even. She may have had a rough exterior but deep down she was a sweet little girl that represented everything good about Vegeta and the prince didn't know if he could kill her knowing that.

"Well, now that you know that, I think I will fight!" Naturon declared, making Vegeta's head snap up before an over sized foot crashed into him.

Vegeta was sent flying backwards and as he managed to regain his wits, Naturon appeared above him and fell onto the saiyan. He then rolled off and then sent his fist plummeting into the prince but Vegeta managed to raise his arms just in time and catch it. Naturon put more force into the punch, trying to slam it into Vegeta but the prince was engulfed by his aura and transformed to level two. The fist was pushed up and Vegeta then blasted the fist the rest of the way off, making the dragon stumble backwards. Vegeta then flipped onto his feet, turned, then dashed towards Naturon, shoulder barging him. The Dragon continued to stumble backwards and Vegeta started to furiously hit the dragon backwards with a barrage of attacks until Naturon flared up a golden aura and slapped the saiyan into the distance.

Vegeta flew through the air and growled before his aura engulfed him again and he burst into the third level of super saiyan. Vegeta then stopped and turned to face Naturon again.

"You know that now I have more then enough power to defeat you. Your time is up." Vegeta called to the dragon but Naturon only laughed.

"I doubt that. You can't kill me as long as I'm holding your little girl. You're just trying to stall. And I can tell you this; it won't work." The dragon then replied and Vegeta grit his teeth.

"How do I even know that she is still alive?" Vegeta then asked lamely and Naturon sighed before he focused and part of his stomach seemed to melt away to show Bra's head. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared right at Vegeta.

"Daddy! Help-" she then disappeared back into the belly of the beast before she could finish.

"Is that proof enough for you?" Naturon asked as he folded his arms across his chest. Vegeta lowered his head thoughtfully, monitoring Naturon's energy signature as he went over his choices. He could either kill the dragon and Bra with him or try another approach. The other approach would be a lot riskier and he didn't even know if the right opportunity would reveal itself and if he did kill Bra then there was a chance to wish her back although that would be a risk in itself as it would create more negative energy in the Dragonballs and he'd have to rely on the others to get their Dragonballs. It really didn't look good for Bra.

And then Naturon himself was a lot more powerful now so Vegeta could not risk being concerned for his daughter whilst fighting him or else he'd surely make a mistake and lose. Vegeta really did not like this situation.

Vegeta looked up as he sensed Naturon's energy moving. The dragon had decided to attack after waiting for so long.

Naturon dived at the prince with his fist thrown forward but the saiyan jumped and flipped over the dragon as Naturon continued to dive underneath. Vegeta twisted round in the air and then fired a blast at the back of the dragon's neck. Naturon whirled round just in time to slap it away and to use his tail to try and hit Vegeta but the saiyan blocked it and then dived forward to attack with a barrage of punches and kicks. Naturon frowned and swung his tail back round to hit Vegeta from behind before using his fist to hit the prince away.

Bra frowned as she sensed what was going on. She was tied up with some kind of rope made out of Naturon's flesh and completely unable to break free as Naturon was using her energy to fight her father. She could sense everything that was going on outside, she could almost see it in her head. Every punch, kick and blast Naturon used she could feel and she hated it. The dragon was trying to kill her father and he was using her energy and powers to do it.

"DADDY! Stop worrying about me and finish this! I can't go through with this and watch him pick you apart using my energy! You can use the Dragonballs later anyway so go ahead and beat him already!" she screamed, unsure if anyone would even hear her.

Vegeta blinked and then smirked. Bra's voice had come out muffled but he had still been able to understand it clearly and now the dragon looked sick as he stared down at his belly.

"Well you heard her, dragon. She wants you out of here. So do I as a matter of fact so I'll make it quick." Vegeta told the dragon slyly as he got into position.

_I'm proud of you Bra, and I'm sorry about this. Two apologies out of me in one day…I must be getting soft…_Vegeta thought and then powered up his attack.

"Final FLASH!" he yelled when he was sure that he had gathered enough energy and he fired the mighty golden blast at the dragon. Naturon panicked as he watched the blast sail towards him and did all that he could to try and escape, although it was all in vain as the blast still hit him full force.

Vegeta lowered his head as he tried to catch his breath, contemplating what he had just done. This didn't last long, however, as soon laughter reached his ears.

"Ha! I knew it! You couldn't do it! You held back!" Naturon's voice greeted Vegeta's ears and as the prince raised his head, he could see Naturon Shenron through the smoke.

"What? But I didn't hold back!" Vegeta called and Naturon laughed again.

"You sure? I may have gotten stronger but there is still a significant gap between our power levels. You should have been able to wipe me out easily is you weren't holding back but I'm still here! You held back subconsciously." The dragon replied and continued to laugh. Vegeta stared down at his hands blankly as he listened to the dragon. He then growled and began to power up, his power escalating and his aura ripping apart everything it touched as Vegeta screamed. Naturon stopped laughing and stared at Vegeta fearfully before the saiyan collapsed to his knees and returned to his normal form.

"I…surrender." Vegeta said weakly and both Naturon's and Bra's jaws nearly hit the floor.

"You what?" they both cried in union and still Vegeta wouldn't look at Naturon.

"I said I surrender. I just have one request and if you are the warrior that I know you are then you will grant it." Vegeta replied, this time harsher. Naturon watched the saiyan cautiously as he edged forward.

"What's the request?" he asked. Vegeta's eyes quickly shifted from the floor to the dragon and back again.

"I wish to see my daughter one last time. Are you going to grant me this?" he asked. Naturon stopped in front of the saiyan and peered down at him. Everything stayed silent for a matter of moment as Naturon contemplated the request. Finally the dragon sighed and nodded.

"Ok, fine. That seems reasonable." He muttered and then allowed Bra to come out up to the waist with her hands still tied up but out side. Vegeta glanced up at her.

"Come on daddy! Get up! You can't just quit like this! You don't give up! Ever!" Bra pleaded after she took in her father's form. Vegeta lowered his head slightly in a way the made Naturon think that Vegeta was acting ashamed but Bra knew better.

"Dad, I-"

"Ok, that's enough of this touching father-daughter moment. Back you go, say bye." Naturon interrupted and Bra began to be pulled back in. Vegeta's head snapped back up and with it his hand followed and grabbed hold of Bra's. A second later and Vegeta was back in super saiyan three form and trying to pull out his daughter from the belly of the beast.

"What? No! You tricked me!" Naturon yelled and tried desperately to power up and suck Bra back inside. Vegeta glared at the dragon and held Bra securely in one arm.

"Bye." The prince said simply before sending a blast of pure energy into the dragon's face. Naturon's hold weakened and Vegeta easily pulled Bra out as Naturon fell back.

Vegeta smirked as he lay Bra down at his feet and he then stood up straight and faced the rapidly shrinking Naturon Shenron. When the dragon stood back up, it was barely past Vegeta's knee and was back to looking like a little purple rat. The little dragon gasped at its body and then looked helplessly up at Vegeta, who was already pointing a blast at the dragon's head.

"Hey! Hold on a second! We can work something out!" Naturon squeaked. Vegeta glared at the dragon.

"That's your second." He said coolly and let go of the blast. It hit the dragon dead on and a moment later there was no trace of the dragon except for the now orange Dragonball that Vegeta scooped up. Vegeta then turned back to Bra and helped her up.

"Did you do it?" she asked, exhausted. Vegeta nodded and showed her the Dragonball before sweeping her off of her feet.

"And you should have listened to me before." Vegeta told her. Bra winced and sighed.

"Ok, can we save the 'I told you so's until later?" she asked. Vegeta flashed a rare smile at her.

"Deal." He muttered before taking off in the direction of Capsule Corporation.

* * *

A/N: well this should be a little better. This episode in GT always annoyed me slightly because it made Goku look like he cared more about Pan then his own two sons. I just think it fits Vegeta better because it touches on how much he's changed. That and I really do think that he'll find Bra harder to let go as she represents so much to him. So was born after Vegeta had made the transition from pride-filled bad guy to a man who'd do anything to protect his family. I'm just hoping that I made it that little bit more touching then it was when it was Goku trying to save Pan.

Besides, GT annoyed me because it was the same old Vegeta with no real changes to his personality. He's changed since the Buu battle and I at least showed that here, if nothing else.

Reviews:

Erica: well here it is, and it was Vegeta. :)

Rejhan: thanks, I try. It is mainly subtle changed from here up to the Eis fight. I'm mainly setting up the fights by who I think the stories will fit right apposed to who's strongest. That should make it a little easier guessing who's to come…

Darksupersaiyan: well how I bring them together is definitely not going to be the same as the series. You'll have to wait and see what I do though but its not that much longer, especially since I break up from school next week.

Psy: hey, no problem, its good to see you're back. Glad you like and school is annoying that way. It's lucky it's Christmas next week really.

Chris: Hey, another old face. Good to hear from you and thanks for the suggestion. I have an idea on how to get Piccolo all caught up but you'll have to wait and see. I won't be able to put it in until after the dragon saga. But the reason why I haven't got Piccolo fighting is because according with the series he never caught up with super saiyan two and now that the dragons are here then most of them will be as weak as that level. Pan is the only character that is meant to be fighting that is weaker then super saiyan two and she's with Uub so that she'll have a fighting chance. After that, everyone else needs to be stronger or as strong as a super saiyan two to defeat their dragons and if I sent in Piccolo then he just wouldn't stand a chance. It made sense in my head and it kinda shows how the saiyans keep surpassing everyone.

Chico: aw, poor Chi. English coursework can be really annoying. Well here's who's next. Wonder if anybody expected it…  
who gets Eis isn't too hard to work out, especially now that there are only three groups left. Guess I don't have that much left to do before the big fight ;)

Trugeta: well…um…Goten defeated Rage. And it probably would have been a lot faster if he had gone subSSJ3 right away, maybe a little too fast though. Well, here's the update anyway and the next will hopefully be later this week to make up for skipping Christmas. Yay for days off!

See you all later this week then, Ja'ne.


	30. chapter 29: the wrath of the sea

**Chapter 29: the wrath of the sea**

The scene below the twowarriors was almost perfect. The golden sands and clear water of the southern coast seemed to stretch on for as far as the eye could see with only a quaint little fishing town splitting it up. If Bulma hadn't been so sure that there was a dragon nearby then this place would have been an ideal holiday spot.

Gohan had been listening to Trunks explain his little situation as they made their way to the village. So far it all sounded rather complicated but it did explain a few things.

"…And then she just left and I don't know what to do. She won't talk to me since she's busy avoiding me now. And it's all because I thought a little too much." Trunks finished and sighed. He was slightly happy that Gohan had asked about what was going on and now he hoped the older saiyan would know what to do.

"Well I can see why she's mad at you. It sounds kind of like you set her up to fall on her face by leading her on." Gohan commented. Trunks sweat dropped.

"Geese, thanks Gohan." The younger saiyan replied flatly and made Gohan let out a nervous laugh.

"Look, Trunks, it sounds to me like you need to stop worrying so much and follow your heart. Just let your instincts tell you what to do." He then replied. Trunks raised a brow.

"Follow my heart? Do you know how corny that sounds?" he asked and Gohan laughed again.

"That's what Goten says. Maybe I should start writing greeting cards."

"Yea, just don't quit your day job." Trunks replied, laughing when Bulma decided to cut in.

"**_Hey you two, you guys better get serious! The radar says that the dragons in the water below you_**." she said and the two demi-saiyans nodded at each other before they both dropped into the village directly below and next to where the dragon supposedly was.

Trunks looked over at Gohan as soon as they had landed and completely suppressed their ki signature.

"Guess we better hurry over there and-" he started but he stopped mid-sentence when a fish landed on top of his head. He blinked before pulling it off and looking up. Gohan did the same and they both gasped at what they saw.

It looked like there was a small cloud of fish in the air and it was rapidly falling towards them. Several more fish hit the pavement and the two men quickly hurried to find shelter and escape the downpour. As soon as they were out of the fishes' path, they both turned to stare at the rapidly growing pile of fresh fish.

"That was close. Where do you think they all came from?" Trunks asked and Gohan peered out of their little sheltered spot.

"If I didn't know any better I would say that they were thrown right out of the water." He commented and then shared a confused look with Trunks.

Cheering soon met their ears as well as the sound of many footsteps running towards the pile of fish that had finally stopped growing. The two demi-saiyans looked up and what looked like the whole village could be seen running over from every direction. The people in front of the crowd jumped forward as soon as they were close enough and landed in the pile of fish and quickly set to work taking as much as they could carry before the rest of the villagers jumped in and started taking whatever they could get their hands on, even if it was already taken.

The two demi-saiyans stared at the crowd blankly and then looked round when a small boy jumped on to some crates beside them. The boy glared at all of the villagers.

"Hey! Stop that! Can't you guys see what that stupid princess Oto is doing to you? We're a fishing village! We're supposed to go fishing in the sea instead of waiting for it to rain fish!" he yelled. Some of the villagers looked up at the blonde kid and many looked angry with him.

"Bisshu! Get down from there and shut up! These fish are a gift! Ever since princess Oto arrived she's done nothing but good. She may have only came a couple of hours ago but we're already set for life! We don't have to work as long as she's around." A man told the boy.

"But that's not how it's meant to be! You're just getting lazier!" the boy insisted but the crowd had stopped listening to him and was dispersing. The boy watched them all leave and then sighed. He didn't notice Trunks and Gohan approaching him as he sat on the crate.

"Um, excuse me but could we ask you something?" Gohan asked the boy who spun round to look at the two demi-saiyans.

"What?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just who is this princess Oto?" Gohan asked.

"You're not from around here, are you?" the boy asked.

"Not really." Trunks replied.

"So could you fill us in?" Gohan asked and the boy nodded.

"Not all that long ago this lady appeared on the beach. We found her there and she said that she'd make it so that we'd never have to work again as long as we served her. So far everyone here is doing as she says and she's been making it rain fish and the villagers collect it. They're not working anymore so in the short time she's been here, she's reduced the whole village into a bunch of couch potatoes. And then because she throws so much fish into the village, most of it can't be sold and is left to rot. And ever since she came the number of injured seagulls went up. I've been trying to help them all but its not going very well." The boy explained and sighed.

"Its all such a waste and she's the one causing all of it." He finished. Trunks and Gohan exchanged a glance.

"Do you think she's our dragon?" Trunks asked the older saiyan.

"Might be. That man said she came a couple of hours ago so the timing's right." Gohan replied and then turned back to the kid.

"Where does Oto stay? We might be able to help you out."

The boy smiled up at them.

"Really? Great! She normally floats round the shore. There's a cove not far from here where the seagulls used to nest that she's usually spotted by." The boy explained and pointed in the direction they had to go in. the two saiyans thanked the boy and made their way to the cove.

They soon found the cove Bisshu had told them about. Seagull nests were all over the rocks and in the centre of the cove stood a woman with blue skin and hair. She wore a green dress and in the centre of her forehead was a blue six-star Dragonball. She was glaring up at the gulls.

"I thought I told you lot to clear out of here! This is mine now, just like this village!" she was yelling before she raised her arm to create a miniature tornado that then flew towards the seagulls. All the gulls tried to get away but most of them were caught up in the attack and were cut to shreds before being thrown into the rocks. The woman smirked at her handy work.

"Hey! Don't you know it's rude to attack without warning like that?" Gohan's voice called and the woman turned to stare at the two demi-saiyans standing on the shore behind her. She laughed at them.

"Oh look, its earth's champions here to save the day. What's the matter, no one important needs saving so you're going to help out a few worthless gulls?" she asked.

"So you must be princess Oto. Or should I say the six-star dragon?" Gohan shot back. Oto shrugged.

"Oto is only a guise created to keep the villagers in line. They'd freak out if they knew that I was actually the dragon of wind and water, Oceanus Shenron." She replied.

"Well you won't be that for much longer. We need your Dragonball and we hear we have to destroy you to get it." Trunks told her.

"That and we need to prevent you from getting further in what ever twisted little plan you had for this village." Gohan added.

"Hey! Wanting a few servants isn't twisted. If I had had enough time then I would have been able to make those pathetic little villagers do what ever I wished. Humans have to have some use." She shot back at them.

"I'm pretty sure that's the twisted part." Trunks said as he tightened his stance. Oceanus laughed.

"It's not twisted, but rather common sense. A kingdom needs servants and people in it. Why not have a few humans serving my every whim? You can't say that you two haven't ever wanted something like that. You're not exactly human and you're more then powerful enough to get what you want. Why not side with me and have it? Nothing could stand in our way." she said and stepped closer. A long growl escaped Gohan's lips.

"Hey! We maybe strong but that doesn't give us the right to enslave a race. Now shut up so that we can get this over with!" he snapped. Oceanus smirked.

"As you wish." She said calmly, "Just let me slip into something a little more battle suited." She said and then seemingly faded as if she were slowing down. A few seconds later and she had gone from a beautiful woman to a serpentine creature with leathery wings and spikes running down her back. She was now a deep blue that was close to black and instead of legs she had one long tail with a sharp, blade-like fin on the end. She now had a more threatening appearance and her power level had sky rocketed to match it.

"Nobody sees my true face and lives to tell the tale." Oceanus said as her somewhat colder blue eyes drifted up to stare at the two saiyans.

"We'll see about that." Gohan said, just as coldly before both he and Trunks powered up to super saiyan two and charged. Trunks aimed a punch at Oceanus's head and Gohan attempted a sweeping kick but the dragon disappeared before they were only seconds away from hitting her. Both the guys turned round to try and spot her just before a tail came out of seemingly no where and hit them both over the back of the head, sending them both into nearby walls or rocks.

"Man she's fast…" Trunks mumbled as he sat up. He stared up at Oceanus and his eyes widened before he was forced to roll aside as the bladed tail hit the spot his head had been in moments before. Trunks quickly threw a blast at her but Oceanus dodged and then thrust her hand down at Trunks as if it were a blade. Trunks rolled a side again and threw more blasts at the dragon that weaved between them all and then flicked her tail round to hit a charging Gohan round the side of the head.

Gohan flipped round, onto his feet and quickly fired a beam of energy at the dragon, which slapped it carelessly away before Trunks jump kicked her from behind. The dragon was hit and was sent skidding across the floor before she beat her wings and took to the sky. Both Gohan and Trunks flared out their golden auras and followed but didn't get very far. Oceanus powered up and threw what could only be described as razor sharp air at them. The guys barely dodged in time and both ended up getting a nasty cut or two, Trunks had a thin one across the cheek and Gohan had one on his left arm. They both growled and then fired blasts at Oceanus who dodged before Gohan materialised behind her and landed a heavy blow to the neck. Oceanus yelped as she was sent crashing into the water below.

The guys both landed back on the beach, breathing heavily.

"She's pretty tough. And here was me thinking we'd get landed with one of the weaker ones." Trunks commented. Gohan frowned and nodded.

"Same here, and its not over yet." He replied and kept his eyes focused on the water, Trunks doing the same.

A moment later and the water shot up in a tornado with the Dragon riding on top. Her wings spread out and she raised her arms over her head.

"You're about to regret coming here!" she yelled and then lowered her arms to point at the guys, beams shooting out of the water as soon as they were in place. Gohan and Trunks quickly started dodging the blasts and as they became more frequent, the two saiyans started blasting them away as they made their way towards Oceanus. They got past the last few blasts and each prepared their own attack. Gohan threw a punch and Trunks prepared a round house but Oceanus powered up slightly and the tornado she was riding on quickly spread up around her and acted as a shield before more blasts flew out and hit the two of them, sending them both into the sand.

They both groaned as they climbed to their feet again.

"This isn't working. She's too fast." Trunks pointed out and Gohan powered back down to his normal form.

"Well then it's about time I took it up a notch." He replied and powered up to full power in his mystic form. The dragon, who had let her tornado disperse, stared down at the mystic saiyan as she floated back down into the water.

"So you've changed you hair colour again. Big deal. That transformation won't help you." she commented calmly. Gohan sunk back into his stance.

"We'll see about that." He replied and then shot forward twice as fast as before. This caught Oceanus slightly off guard but she recovered quickly enough to raise an arm to block Gohan's attack before flinging her tail round to hit him but he blocked that move and hit her in the chest with his open palm. Oceanus gasped before she swung her left arm round and followed through with her tail. Gohan was hit into the water below and Oceanus dived in after him.

Gohan quickly tried to resurface but as soon as he reached air, something pulled him back under; giving him barely enough time to breath in and hold his breath.

He was pulled deep down into the water before whatever had been holding onto his ankle let go. He looked around quickly before he started to swim back up. He didn't get far before he spotted something moving fast on his left and something impacted with his gut. He found it hard to keep his air from escaping and the second blow to his head didn't help.

Gohan thrashed out with his right arm but hit nothing but water. Then something quickly hit him round the jaw and in the chest. Gohan thrashed out again but hit nothing before something sharp shot past his cheek and made a shallow cut. Gohan winced and tried to look for his attacker.

_She has to be here somewhere! Her colouring is making her blend in too well with the water, I can't see her attacks but if I try then I should sense her. I just have to hold on…_he thought before something ploughed into his back and sent him flying forwards. Gohan just managed to stop himself before something slammed into him again and he was sent flying backwards. He just managed to stop himself again and this time managed to focus.

_There!_

Gohan's hand shot out and grabbed something scaly. It was Oceanus's tail and she had definitely not expected him to grab her like that. She thrashed around to try and make him let go but to no use. Gohan smirked before he charged up a blast in his free hand and fired it into where he could sense her torso. It hit and he let go of her tail as she was sent flying backwards. Gohan then used this time to shoot himself through the water and come up for air.

As soon as he had gotten out and caught his breath, Trunks had caught up to him.

"Hey! I was just debating whether or not to go in after you." he called. Gohan kept his eyes trained on the water.

"Well thanks for your concern, now get out of here, I'm not done yet." He replied. Trunks nodded just as a blast shot out of the water. Gohan managed to swerve out of the way but as soon as he had, Oceanus's razor tipped tail shot towards him from above and Gohan barely had enough time to grab it. Oceanus pushed down on it but Gohan wouldn't budge.

"Let go!" she screamed at him but Gohan only smirked back up at her.

"If you insist!" Trunks voice called and Oceanus's head turned just in time to see him holding a blast before he fired it into her face. She screamed and withdrew her tail as Gohan let go. Oceanus retreated before she suddenly threw more of her wind attack at Trunks and he barely had enough time to dodge as it made a large tear in his vest top. She then quickly turned to attack Gohan again but he had disappeared.

"Looking for me?" a voice called and she looked up in time to see Gohan floating directly above her with his hands cupped at his side.

"Kamehameha!" he cried and let go of the massive beam of energy. It was too big for Oceanus to dodge so it hit her literally head on and she was engulfed in the energy as it disintegrated her. When the beam faded, all that was left was the orange Dragonball that Trunks quickly caught before it fell into the water. The two saiyans exchanged a glance before they both powered down.

Bisshu was waiting patiently on his crate with a small crowd surrounding him. The word of someone challenging princess Oto had quickly spread and now an angry crowd were awaiting the saiyan's return.

Bisshu looked up and grinned as he caught sight of Gohan and Trunks. He quickly jumped off of the crate and ran towards them.

"Did you do it? Is she gone?" he asked and both the saiyans nodded. Bisshu let out a loud cheer as the crowd gathered round them.

"What's this? You killed princess Oto? How could you? She was the best thing that has ever happened to this village!" the same man from before cried.

"It may seem like that now but she wasn't. Princess Oto wasn't what she seemed." Trunks told him.

"What are you talking about? She kept us well fed and with plenty of income and we barely had to lift a finger." The man yelled back.

"She was killing the wild life and was planning to enslave all of you once she had gained your trust. She wasn't the princess you think she was. She was a monster with a good disguise." Gohan replied.

"She wasn't helping anyone. She was doing more damage then good and was making you all change for the worst because of it. Working hard to get what you need is a lot better then taking that kind of short cut." Trunks finished and the Villagers all hung their heads as those words sunk in.

"Fine. I guess we'll have to go back to work. I…Thank you, I guess." The man replied and slowly the crowd dispersed. Gohan, Trunks and Bisshu all watched them before the boy turned to the saiyans again.

"Thanks so much! The village might not seem very grateful but they will be in the long run. Thanks again!" he said and then rushed off. Gohan and Trunks smiled after him before Trunks turned to the older man. He handed Gohan the Dragonball.

"Can you take this back to my mum? I've got something important to do." Trunks explained as he started to float into the air. Gohan watched him rise with a brow raised.

"And what's that?" he asked, making Trunks smile.

"I've got a girl to get." He exclaimed and then turned round and took off with a flare of his aura and a burst of speed.

Gohan smiled after him.

"Good luck." He said out loud before turning and taking off himself, flying towards west city.

* * *

A/n: well this got more changes then I thought it would. The fight should be a little more excited and I gave Oceanus a little make over as well as keeping her in her 2nd form after she transformed. She may have been the wind and air dragon but I think wind and water is just as good. That and isn't wind and air basically the same thing?

Anyway, I tried to make her form and powers complement both wind and water elements. That and I thought a sea serpent look would be kinda cool…

Reviews:

Super saiyan 4 chichi: I thought the same thing too. I could understand in the Buu saga when Goku seemed to care more about Gohan then Goten, since he had only just met Goten and hadn't had enough time to bound. It's just all the others I could never get my head round.

Trugeta: well I guess you could say that. Vegeta lives on a Mr strategy and I still think it suits him more then Goku. As for the Bra thing…I might just surprise you.

Erica: thanks, that's sort of what I was aiming for…I just wanted it to be that little bit more touching then when Goku did it with Pan. Well here's the next guy, enjoy!

Psy: softer Vegeta? Guess you're right. I can never stand it when people make him out to be someone that never stops yelling or is just plain mad all the time. He's not always like that, he's a complicated character and that's part of what I love about him. And now I better stop before I go into a Vegeta rant. Thanks for the review.

Chico: well…close enough anyway. And Vegeta will always be badass! Another part of what I love about him. Am I an annoying no ouji fan or what?  
Well you don't have long to wait: Eis is next! And hopefully his opponent will still be a surprise…

So next time we have the Eis Shenron fight! And that's the point of change! Yay! See you next time, whenever I decide that is!


	31. chapter 30: blizzard

**Chapter 30: blizzard **

Zara didn't know what she was thinking. Here she was flying over a blazing hot desert as if it were no more then a mild summers day and finding it hard to focus on anything other then a certain lavender haired prince.

Over the years she had grown attached to him, as any pair of best friends would. They had spent most of their time together until they both filled each other's free time, whether it meant sparring, messing around or simply staying up and talking for hours. They had gotten so close that eventually Zara had wondered about going further, she just had never been sure about how he felt.

Then came the tournament and she had been certain about what he was trying to tell her. It was just that Goten and Marron kept getting in the way. Zara knew perfectly well that Trunks had an issue about talking about certain things in front of other people so she had decided that she'd wait until they were alone to ask about it. The only problem was that her body decided to betray her at that point and she was forced to stay away for a week and the idea of furthering her relationship with Trunks was put on hold and pushed back.

But then what happened in the GR had hurt her more then anything else ever had. She had been humiliated and hurt and it was all because of him. She had been so sure… but he pushed her away and she still had no idea what he had meant by 'I can't' either. It didn't make any sense and it was doing her head in just by thinking about it.

"_**ZARA! Answer me already! **_" Bulma's voice interrupted her thoughts and Zara had to move the head set away from her ears just to stop the ringing.

"What is it Bulma?"

"_**I've been trying to catch your attention for the past five minutes! That's what! You've gone right past the dragon! Where's your head?**_" the older woman snapped and Zara's eyes widened in surprise momentarily.

"I did? When? Where is it?" she asked and turned around. Her eyes went flat at what she saw and she could feel a large droplet of sweat running down the side of her head.

"Oh. Typical." She muttered.

"_**What? What's wrong?**_" Bulma asked, worried now.

"I think I found the dragon." she replied and quickly told Bulma what she saw.

She could see very clearly a large city in the distance but the odd thing was that the whole place was completely covered in ice and snow with a few feet of snow surrounding it.

Bulma hesitated before answering.

"_**Zara, I want you to trade dragons with Goku. I can call him up right now and have him instant translocate over-**_"

"What? Why?" Zara asked in surprise.

"_**You know as well as I do that you are built for hot climates. Your Kalroo half was built to survive in a desert, not the artic! Your body doesn't hold onto heat as well as everyone else's. Swap with Goku, please.**_" Bulma explained and Zara lowered her head.

"I can handle a little cold." She mumbled.

"_**An ice city is more then a little cold. Think about it, you'll be out of your element and the dragon would have a large advantage over you. And you know Trunks would kill me if I let anything bad happen to you.**_" Bulma insisted, managing to say the exact wrong thing. Zara growled and raised her power level a little.

"I can handle it. See you later." She replied coldly and took off the headset. She stared down at it before crushing it in her hand and teleporting into the depths of the city.

"This really isn't the best idea I've ever had…"

Zara sighed as she walked through the icy city, keeping her jacket wrapped firmly around her as she kept her aura up for added warmth. The dragon would surely know she was coming now so she'd lost the element of surprise but it was better to keep warm then to freeze to death before she'd even found the dragon, let alone fought it.

"Of all the warriors I've been sensing lately, they send a weak little girl that can't even handle a little chill to defeat me?" a voice mocked from behind her and Zara quickly whirled round and sunk into her stance.

"Jumpy today, aren't we?" The voice asked slyly.

"Wouldn't you be if some ugly old dragon was hiding nearby?" she asked innocently, sweeping her eyes over everything around her to try and catch site of the dragon.

"Maybe…" the voice started and Zara could hear footsteps behind her. She moved her head ever so slightly to glance over her shoulder.

"…But there aren't many out there that can keep up with me." He replied. Zara frowned as she caught sight of him.

He had a well-toned figure with a light blue complexion and a pair of wings on his back. He had cold blue eyes and he could send a chill down someone's spine just by looking at them.

"I bet. And they say the dragons are arrogant." Zara replied and then phased out of sight. She reappeared in front of him and swung her leg round in a spin kick but the dragon caught it with ease.

"It's a fact. Most of the evil dragons are nothing more then bad jokes. Only my brother, Syn and myself are worthy of the title dragon. And if you keep testing me then you'll soon see why." He explained before letting go and allowing Zara to float back down to her feet.

"So I see. And what exactly do I call this 'true dragon'?" she asked. The dragon smirked.

"Eis Shenron." He replied.

"Ok then, Eis, you mind if we hurry this up? I really need that Dragonball." She said and Eis nodded.

"But of course." He replied and thrust his fist forward in a movement too fast to track.

Zara was sent flying backwards but she quickly flipped over and skidded to a halt on her feet. Eis appeared right in front of her as she stopped and quickly thrust his fist up to punch her up into the building behind her. She slammed into the wall and faded away.

"After image?" Eis muttered as he turned his head to receive a knee to the face.

"That one was." she replied and then removed her knee so she could flip round and kick his jaw, sending him into the air. Eis spread out his wings to stop himself and he quickly pointed his hand at Zara and fired multiple ki blasts down at her. Zara quickly set to work dodging them and where ever the blasts landed became frozen solid.

Zara swerved to the side then flipped backwards to avoid the blasts that followed her, but Eis materialised beside her and fired one right into her side, instantly freezing her solid. Eis floated back to admire his handy work, smirking evilly.

The ice around her slowly began to melt and a moment later it burst to pieces, sending shards flying everywhere. After they all had landed, Eis was left with a small cut on the side of his face, whilst he faced a very angry Zara.

"So, do you freeze everyone you meet?" she asked coldly, making Eis smirk.

"What do you think?" he asked, glancing round the frozen city quickly. Zara frowned.

"Fine then, stupid question. But I have to admit that you are pretty strong. I might have to go full power." She said.

"Don't let me stop you." he replied, still smirking. Zara frowned at him and a moment later she was powering up with her fierce aura blazing and melting all of the ice and snow around her. She finished with a scream and was left standing there with a power level that would have made Goten nervous. Eis wasn't impressed.

"That's it? They really didn't think when they sent you here, did they?" he asked and began to power up himself. His aura pulsed and his skin began to glow before breaking away like a shell. He was left with lighter skin that was clear and almost white, like the ice around him. The very air around him seemed to drop to a temperature far below zero and his power level had increased exponentially so that he could probably have given Goku a hard time.

"Oh great." Zara commented flatly and Eis smirked at her.

"What's the matter? Does it chill you?" he asked.

"Are you trying to be funny?" she asked in return and he chuckled.

"Being the dragon of ice doesn't mean that I'm not allowed a sense of humour." He replied and then materialised in front of her. Zara stepped back in surprise, then regained her wits and threw her fist forward to punch him across the jaw. Only problem was that his speed had increased and he was able to get a firm grasp of her arm. She could feel her skin freezing in his hand.

"Do you really expect that to work? My power is so much greater then yours." He pointed out. Zara growled and then shifted her gaze from her arm to his face, a smirk growing on it.

"Well I could always use a challenge." She replied and then shot her leg up to meet his crotch. Eis yelped in pain and Zara managed to free her arm before sending energy to her leg and performing her mega kick. She hit Eis in the jaw and then spun round to hit him with a second mega kick in the chest, sending him flying backwards where she followed and hit him with a third kick to the chest that sent him into the ground. She fired several blasts at him from there then followed down. They exploded on impact with his body and she quickly set to work on attacking his chest, gut and jaw with a succession of blows designed to give him no time to think.

Eis began to laugh through her attacks and then grabbed her in coming fist. Zara gasped before she received an open palm to the chest that flung her backwards. Eis appeared above her and watched her with a sinister smirk spread across his face. Zara growled and quickly thrust her knee up but Eis pushed it aside and grabbed her throat, her hands immediately clamping down on his arm in a lame attempt to try and pull him off.

"Poor little girl, is the big bad dragon too much for you?" he mocked.

"The big bad dragon is kinda stupid…" she managed to choke out before her hands began to glow. Eis winced as pain shot through his arm thanks to the ki. He glared at Zara and then slammed her into a wall and let go. Zara winced and then disappeared, materialising next to the dragon with her hands pointed forward. Her aura pulsed and then she fired a large beam of pure energy into the dragon's side. It hit Eis dead on and exploded on impact but when Eis turned to face Zara, he wore a smug look.

"That kind of tickled." He commented and widened his mouth into a grin. Zara hesitated before returning to her stance.

"So you want more, huh? I'll see what I can do." He mocked and then rushed forward in a movement too fast for Zara to track. He shoulder barged her and sent her flying through a nearby building and half way through the second where she hit a wall hard and slid down it. She moaned as she got back to her feet but she didn't have much time to catch her breath as she had to quickly dive aside as one of Eis Shenron's blasts collided with the spot she had landed in, coating it with ice.

Zara flew through a window to reach the outside world again and quickly tried to pin point Eis. She frowned and quickly moved aside as a blast sped by but she didn't have enough time to dodge the second as it hit her legs, freezing them solid in thick ice. Eis then appeared above her with his fists laced together and used them both to ram her into the icy pavement below.

Zara groaned as she sat up and then gasped when she saw that she was frozen up to just below the waist.

"Doesn't look like you'll last much longer, does it?" Eis asked as he stepped up to her. Zara glared at him.

"I guess you could say that…" she muttered before she teleported to right in front of the dragon and swung her frozen legs round to hit his jaw hard and send him staggering backwards. He rubbed his jaw in surprise but she wasn't done. She followed and spun round twice more to hit him twice across the chest before she flipped over to have the chunk of ice collide with his jaw. She charged towards him again but he threw a blast at her that made her swerve aside at the last moment, just before he kicked her in the gut and tossed a blast after her for good measure as she was flung across the floor.

Zara groaned again as she tried to get up but she couldn't. Her eyes widened and she looked down at her body to she it completely frozen over with only her head and right arm free.

"What's the matter? Can't you get up? Did you use up too much energy trying to defeat what can't be beaten? Real shame. Then again I don't really care; you were getting boring. Watching you freeze to death might be a little more entertaining." Eis commented as he stepped into view. Zara glared at him and then tried to break free, only to have Eis strengthen the ice.

"You're done." He told her coldly, just to have her growl back.

"Not if I can help it." She returned. Eis stared down at her in confusion.

"What are you jabbering on-" he stopped half way through and stared down at his body in shock. It wasn't doing what he wanted it to. He was paralysed from the neck down.

"Didn't I mention I was telekinetic? Shame." Zara commented, smirking as she struggled to keep her mental hold on him. Eis growled deeply.

"You can't hold me! I'm too strong!" he shot at her as he tried his best to move. Zara narrowed her eyes.

"What makes you so sure it'll be that easy?" she asked before using her mind to fling him through a nearby building. He slammed through wall after wall just to come out of the building and then go back in, creating a second hole. He was then sent up through all 20 of the concrete floors and out of the roof before he was tossed to the next building and pulled through all of the floors until he reached the ground floor and was sent through more walls and two other building.

Zara continued to concentrate on Eis as she lifted her free arm and pointed her palm up.

"Time to end this." She muttered as she created a ki blast that rapidly grew to an apocalyptic size. Eis was sent up several floors in his building before he was thrown through a wall so that he was outside again. Zara released the blast as soon as he came out and then released her hold on him when he was mere seconds away from being hit by the blast. Eis had no time to bring up a defence and the blast ploughed right through him, incinerating him as it went so that all that was left was a Dragonball that quickly turned from blue to orange, its three stars clearly turning red in it's centre.

Zara let out a deep and long sigh as she watched the Dragonball fall into a snowdrift before she allowed her head to fall back down.

"I did it. I had to cheat but I did it." She muttered and then attempted to move but the ice was still enabling her to do so.

"Now how do I get out of this ice cube with no energy left?" she wondered. It was going to take a while having taken most of her energy just to keep Eis still and blast him apart. She sighed again and then concentrated to try and punch a hole through the ice mentally.

Chunks of ice flew off of the ice pinning her to the ground but it wasn't enough. The ice was too thick and with no more energy left to battle the cold, it was becoming increasingly difficult to simply stay awake, let alone dig her way out.

She gave one last weak attempt at breaking the ice before her head fell back into the snow and her eyes fell shut, the last of her energy escaping with it.

* * *

A/N: bet you weren't expecting that, although next time might not be so hard to figure out now. I have sort of a long chapter planned for 31 and you'll probably be able to guess what happens if you really want to try.

I haven't really got any comments on this chapter, as this episode in GT didn't happen. Eis just has a longer appearance.  
And I didn't use my cold shoulder pun; you've been spared!

Reviews (150, yay!):

Son Oliver: thanks. Really thought the serpent look would be cool, I couldn't really find any pictures of Oceanus's true form anyway so that's what I came up with. And it fits with the water element too. And Eis Shenron's opponent may not have been a surprise and Nuova Shenron's definitely isn't now since Goku is the only z fighter left. See you when you get back, and if you're lucky you might get 2 chapters to read instead of just this one.

Erica: heh, thanks. Well here's Eis.

Chi: aw, thanks Chi. and you don't really need GT from here on anyway. The Syn/Omega Shenron fight is going to be a lot different as well as everything else. I'm hoping the Nuova fight will be different too but we'll see about that. Thanks again.

Trugeta: thanks Tru, I like to think that Oceanus was a little better here then in the series.

Psy: I'm a Vegeta nut, that's all you need know. –Looks around- and that music needs to get fixed sometime…-shrugs- here's the update anyway, enjoy!

Darksupersaiyan: Thanks, will do.

Well it looks like nuova's next and I left a nice cliffy for you as well. You can't escape the cliffhangers for long! Mwhahaha! –Coughs-

Anyway, hope you all had a good Christmas and I'll see you guys later in the week. Ja'ne


	32. chapter 31: history

**Chapter 31: history **

Trunks flew through the desert as fast as he could in super saiyan mode. Zara's energy signature had nearly gone and that frightened him. Out of everyone that went out to challenge the dragons, she was the one he couldn't lose. So he sped towards the ice city in the desert with the help of Bulma's directions.

Once there, he hurried to the centre of the city and followed the damage to Zara. She was still encased in ice and he panicked when he laid eyes on her, expecting the worse. He hurried to her side and quickly checked for her energy signature. He smiled when he found it and quickly set to work blasting her, out after taking note of the Dragonball in a nearby snowdrift.

He blasted away most of the ice and heated the rest as soon as it got too thin. A moment later and Zara was free again.

"Well that's one catastrophe averted…" he muttered as he stared down at her. He smiled before scooping her unconscious body up in his arms. He then turned back to the Dragonball and frowned. It wasn't in its snowdrift any more.

"Weird…" he muttered and looked round to make sure it wasn't there. It was as if it had completely disappeared so Trunks decided to call Bulma up to check the radar.

"_**Well that's strange…Its on the move. Its already a mile away from your current position.**_" She told him, confusing Trunks even more.

"Weird, how'd it get that far away?" he wondered aloud.

"_**Maybe its not so strange, its with another Dragonball. I just don't see why.**_" Bulma replied. Trunks frowned.

"What should we do?" he asked.

"_**Leave it for now, I'll warn Goku and he can handle it. You just get Zara back here so that I can treat her. We're going to need her.**_"

"Ok…but why do you need her?" Trunks asked as he began to take off.

"_**I'll explain when you get here, just hurry.**_" She replied. Trunks blinked a few times then shrugged it off: He'd find out soon enough.

Meanwhile, Goku was walking through a city on the other side of the desert. This one just happened to be sweltering hot rather then icy cold. In fact, Goku was starting to think that it was too hot.

_Maybe it's the dragon. No way is this heat natural._ He thought as he wiped some sweat from his brow.

"Son Goku I presume. It's about time you showed." A voice greeted Goku's ears as he stepped into a park. Goku frowned as he noticed the reddish-orange figure sitting by the side of a fountain with his hands over the side, turning the water into steam. The figure – or creature – was well toned with a pair of wings attached to his back and fiery red eyes that were fixed on Goku.

"And I take it that you're a dragon, but which one?" he asked. The dragon stood up and raised his palm to Goku. A blue Dragonball appeared in it with four black stars.

"I am Nuova Shenron, the four star dragon of fire and the Sun." the dragon then replied as Goku continued to stare at the ball.

"So you're the one that got my Grandpa's Dragonball. That's a good sign." He muttered before looking up at the dragon again.

"Just out of curiosity, what wish were you born from?" Goku then asked and the dragon smiled.

"Both my brother and myself were born when the demon king Piccolo wished for youth. Is that all you want to know?" Nuova asked. Goku nodded.

"Guess it is. So it's about time I fought for my grandpa's ball."

Nuova nodded and sunk into a stance.

"You know I've heard about you, Son Goku. You're a good man and the strongest fighter this planet has to offer. It should be fun testing my strength against you." he replied and Goku grinned back.

"Well then you better be strong or you won't last long." He replied and got into a stance as well.

"We'll see." Nuova replied, smirking before both he and Goku disappeared.

Goku swung his fist at the dragon but Nuova ducked under it and kneed Goku in the gut. Goku doubled over then fired a blast at the dragon who slapped it away before charging at Goku with his fist raised but the saiyan blocked and kicked at Nuova who was hit backwards slightly. Goku chased after the dragon and readied a punch but Nuova was too fast and kicked Goku's exposed gut. Goku grunted and elbowed the dragon in the face. Nuova grabbed the saiyan's arm as he pulled away and flung the saiyan into one of the buildings across the street.

Nuova then chased after Goku but before he could get past the hole the saiyan had created; the dragon was hit full force by a kamehameha wave. Nuova rolled off of it and threw a fireball at the hole just as Goku was coming out but he instant translocated behind the dragon and attempted a drop kick that the dragon avoided before grabbing the saiyan's arm and then neck.

Goku gasped in surprise as he felt the dragon squeezing his neck. The dragons grip strengthened and Goku glanced at the dragon before - to Goku's surprise - the dragon let go. Goku peered up at Nuova in confusion.

"You can do better then this." The dragon said, smirking as he floated away from the saiyan and settled into a stance. Goku continued to stare at the dragon in confusion before grinning and sinking into his own stance. Both warriors then charged at one another again, signalling the start of round two.

Zara's eyes fluttered as she was carried. She didn't know where she was but she did know that it was comfortable and warm and if it weren't for her common sense then she would have stayed asleep.

_You were frozen solid! Wake up!_ Her mind screamed at her and finally her eyes fluttered open. What she saw made her groan.

"Nice to see you too." Trunks replied, smiling down at her. She was silent for a long moment.

"You know I'm not going to talk to you," she said.

"I didn't expect you too right away." he replied. Zara frowned at him.

"Why'd you have to be the one to save me anyway?" she asked.

"Well I wasn't going leave you frozen. That's not what friends do and you're kind of important." He replied.

"After what you did, it might have been less of a blow to my pride." She shot back.

"Well I'm sorry for what I did."

"And sorry is supposed to make it better?"

"Well it's a start."

"Doesn't change what happened."

"Well I don't exactly have a time machine to use." He pointed out in a lame joke. Zara turned her head away to hide the smile.

"But I really am sorry. It was a bad mistake and I want to sort it out. Just give me a chance to explain, ok?" he asked and Zara sighed. Trunks took this as a fine and quickly found a small oasis in the desert below to land in.

Once there, he dropped out of super saiyan and set Zara on the floor before sitting across from her.

"Ok then, listen. Back in the GR I had a lot on my mind. Goten had given me this whole speech about how impossible it is to take a relationship further then go back to how things were and how easy it is to ruin everything with just one mistake or bad experience. Of course now I know Goten wasn't expecting to be taken so seriously and just how paranoid that is but at the time it had me pretty scared." He started and sweat dropped nervously. Zara continued to stare at him blankly so he decided to continue.

"Then there was Goku's little panic attack. He kept stressing to me how important everyone and the earth is. I guess I was worried that our feelings would end up making us make mistakes in battle and I'd end up messing up again."

"If you haven't noticed, Trunks, are feelings already does that too us but we get by. Besides, its not you that has to take over from Goku. He talked to all of us, not just you so all of us are going to take over. You have six people working with you that will help you if you mess up, me included." Zara pointed out and Trunks nodded.

"I guess you have a point there." He said slowly.

"Of course I do. Do you really think I'm going to let Goku get between us after everything we've been through together? We'll still be able to help defend the earth, even if we're boyfriend and girlfriend or more. And anyone who disagrees is…well…paranoid." She replied. Trunks nodded again and smiled slightly.

"Look, Trunks, you have more power over me then anybody else. And what you did hurt me a lot more then what most of the bad guys we face do. Pain I can handle, heartache is harder. I don't want to go through that again just yet but I'm still willing to risk it against my better judgement. I need to know if you're going to do the same." She continued. Trunks stared at her then lowered his head thoughtfully.

"You know, this would have been a lot easier if we had gotten together earlier. Like back at that new years party 11 years ago, after you got back from space." He pointed out. Zara nodded.

"Probably would have been." She agreed.

"Yea but you disappeared for a week and everything got awkward for a while." He said thoughtfully, trying to remember. Zara frowned lightly.

"Hey, I was in heat. I couldn't exactly help it." She mumbled. Trunks blinked and stared at her and she then blushed.

"What was that?" he asked and Zara knew that he wouldn't leave it alone so she sighed heavily.

"I go into heat once a month. It's a kalroo thing where I produce a pheromone for a week that's supposed to attract guys and we didn't know how it would affect humans or saiyans. That and its plain embarrassing." She explained, still blushing. Trunks nodded at this explanation and decided that she'd just explained why she hadn't told him as well. It was probably easier just to hide.

"Sorry I didn't tell you." she said quietly and Trunks shrugged.

"Doesn't matter, I know now." He replied.

"Ok, but I didn't know how'd you would react. That and Bulma seemed to think that you'd track me down if you knew and thought it'd be kinda dangerous." she added and Trunks waved it off again.

"Its fine." He said firmly. She nodded but continued to stare at the floor. They were silent for a long time after that.

"You know if we listened to a few 'friends' then we probably wouldn't be here either." Zara eventually pointed out. Trunks stared at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked and she smiled at him.

"Don't you remember what happened about three months before Goku came back from training Uub?" she asked. Trunks blinked then nodded.

"How could I forget?"

_Both Trunks and Zara had been seeing separate people before Goku had come back, only Trunks's girlfriend had been a suspicious woman and had broken up with him not long before. Zara had gone round to his condo to check on him. _

_Half way through their little meeting, Zara got a call from her boyfriend, a man called Dick. She had told him where she was and he had driven right over. Once he got there he had pulled her into the kitchen to talk._

_"Zara, just what is going on here?" he asked and Zara shrugged._

_"Nothing as far as I know." She replied, clueless. Dick frowned at her and leaned against the side._

_"You sure about that? Every time I want to speak to you, you're with him. Every time I want to be with you, you're with him." He replied, glancing towards the living room and Trunks._

_"Well he's my best friend. I thought I was entitled to spend some time with him." She said, frowning as well now._

_"Friend? Kami, you're more then just friends. I see it every time you look at him! You're always with him! And the way you two act, it's no wonder that you've been mistaken for a couple before now. You two aren't friends." He explained, raising his voice before sighing._

_"And that's why I have to do this. Sorry Zar, but it's over. I'll see you around." Then he left, leaving Zara to keep staring blankly ahead as his words sunk in. _

"Do you think he was right?" Zara asked slowly. Trunks blinked and stared at her before looking thoughtfully at the ground.

"I…don't know. Does it matter?" he asked.

"Well yea, kind of." Zara replied and watched him carefully before continuing.

"You know, I've had this theory for a while now. I think you're too worried about letting everyone down. You're still working a job that you hate and you're constantly sneaking out of your office. You've been forced to live your life as both a human and a saiyan your whole life and that has always left you no time to be yourself and now that Goku had his panic attack, you're going to add earth's saviour to the list. Adding boyfriend might be too much." She started.

"Its not, I can-" Trunks started but Zara pressed a finger against his lips to silence him.

"You've stretched yourself a bit too thin over the years. I know that you'd rather be training then working in an office but you never have enough time. Its part of the reason why you're still only a super two. I know it's hard to just give something up but you'll have to choose sooner or later." She explained and Trunks gently moved her hand away. He stared into her eyes thoughtfully for a long moment before leaning in and kissing her deeply. She blinked and when he pulled back she could only stare at him.

"Wh…what was that for?" she eventually asked and Trunks smiled.

"Choosing." He said simply. Zara blinked then grinned before she wrapped her arms round him and kissed him just as deeply as he returned it.

This continued as several years worth of pent up feelings were released and they both fell into a lying position. Eventually they had to part for breath but they weren't finished. Trunks moved to start kissing her neck and paused just above where the neck met shoulder. Something was telling him to bite. It was some kind of instinct but he didn't know why it was there so he decided to follow it through. He bit down on the spot and when she gasped he held her head in the same spot on his exposed neck so that she'd do the same.

Neither could understand what was happening at first but soon neither cared. Their ki was moving through the bite marks in thin strands to make a loop, entwining with the other's ki before travelling back, creating a type of ki chain mixed in with the other person's life energy.

Their ki continued to act like this for a while longer before fatigue set in and they had to part. Both Zara and Trunks stared into each others eyes, trying to make sense of what just happened until she moved aside and nestled into his arm, going back to sleep.

Goku smirked at Nuova. This fight was really getting his saiyan blood pumping and Nuova was keeping up expertly. Goku was going to have to fully transform and the thought made him grin. This was going to be exciting.

"So tell me Goku, are you ready to show me your true power yet?" the dragon called and Goku nodded.

"I don't see why not, you've earned it." Goku replied and started powering up, calmly at first but after his power reached a certain point he doubled over and screamed as the power rushed out of him. His arms grew the brown monkey hair and his pupils disappeared as his eyes turned red. Finally his hair grew out and Goku was left standing fully transformed with his tail wagging proudly behind him.

The dragon swept his eyes over Goku's new form and smiled.

"Very good, now it's my turn." Nuova said and then began to power up himself. His skin began to glow and then melt away as a more yellowish skin covered his body. Nuova flexed his hands as soon as he was even in power to Goku.

"So you're pretty strong after all. This should definitely be good." Goku commented and settled into a stance. The dragon nodded, a smirk on his face, before he decided to make the first move and charge forward.

The dragon swung his fist at Goku who raised his arm to block. The dragon continued to press down on Goku's arm and the saiyan then noticed his fur beginning to get singed. He frowned kicked the dragon away and Nuova flipped onto his feet and watched Goku check his arm.

"Didn't I mention that my skin can produce the same surface temperature as the sun in this form? That's a maximum of 6000 degrees." The dragon announced and Goku frowned lightly as he rubbed his arm.

"Is that right? Well I guess I'll need to be careful then." He replied and then disappeared. Nuova looked surprised momentarily then ducked as Goku sailed over him with his leg out stretched. Goku landed and turned quickly before having to dodge left as Nuova's fist came flying towards him. Goku frowned then spun round to kick the dragon hard in the gut but Nuova managed to catch the leg and swing Goku into the wall.

Goku frowned and quickly pushed himself out just as Nuova's fist slammed right through the wall and Goku sweep kicked the dragon before trying to punch him in the chest but Nuova grabbed the saiyans arm and used his foot to help flip Goku over him. Nuova then quickly jumped back onto his feet to see that Goku had already disappeared.

"Surprise!" Goku's voice called and Nuova turned round just in time to be kicked in the chest by Goku. Goku quickly landed on his feet and cupped his hands at his side.

"Kamehameha!" he yelled and fired the blast at Nuova. The dragon saw it coming at the last moment and just managed to raise his arms in a lame defence as it hit.

Nothing happened and Nuova opened his eyes to see Goku smiling down at him. Nuova blinked several time before frowning at Goku.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"You spared my life once and I just did the same for you." Goku explained simply. Nuova continued to watch Goku before he climbed to his feet.

"That's it? Fine then, but next time there will be no excuses for either of us." Nuova pointed out and Goku nodded before they both started again.

They both materialised high above the city exchanging kicks and punches as fast as they could. Goku threw a punch that Nuova ducked under before throwing one of his own back that Goku flew over before turning and kicking the dragon across the jaw. Nuova was sent backwards but he managed to fire several fireballs at Goku that he mostly dodged until he slapped away the last one. Nuova appeared in front of the saiyan as soon as he'd deflected it, and the dragon threw his leg round in a round house that Goku blocked before firing a blast into Nuova's chest. The dragon rolled off the blast and flew towards Goku, cupping his hands as he went. Goku cupped his hands at his side then thrust them forward to fire a kamehameha. Nuova fired his own fiery beam and the two hit head on. Both warriors struggled to dominate the other and energy crackled around them and through the blasts until the energy built up and both blasts exploded.

Goku panted as he kept his eyes fixed on Nuova and the dragon did the same to Goku as he caught his own breath. They were both absorbed in their little stare down and strategising that they didn't hear the clapping at first.

"Bravo, bravo. Very well done." A voice called and both of the warriors turned to stare at a figure on a rooftop. He had white skin with two white horns protruding from the top of his head and chest. He had one black horn on his chin and some more on his back, elbows and knees. In the centre of his fore head was a blue one-star Dragonball.

Nuova frowned at the new comer.

"Syn, what are you doing here?" he asked and the second dragon grinned evilly.

"I just wanted to see if you recognised this." Syn replied and held out the orange three-star Dragonball. Both Goku and Nuova stared at it in surprise.

"A Dragonball?" Goku asked.

"That's my brother's ball! Where did you get it?" Nuova asked, raising his voice as the air around him heated up. Syn chuckled slightly.

"Ah yes, so it is." He answered and tossed it into the air and caught it playfully. Nuova growled.

"You didn't answer me!" he yelled.

"I was just thinking of starting a little collection, that's all." Syn started to explain before staring directly at Nuova.

"And I think two brother balls will be quite good." He finished and in a motion too fast to see, Syn had raised his index finger to point at Nuova before firing a blast. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Goku as he watched the blast hurtle towards Nuova and impact with his chest before it exploded and incinerated the dragon instantly so that only the orange four-star Dragonball was left. The ball then floated over to Syn who started to laugh.

"A perfect ending for a poor excuse of a dragon." he commented and held out the three-star ball in his palm. The ball sunk into his skin and the dragon glowed momentarily as the one-star ball disappeared from his forehead and appeared with the three-star ball on the appropriate place on his chest, both now blue.

Syn smirked and was about to do the same with Nuova's ball when Goku swooped down and snatched it right out of the dragon's hand. Syn stared at Goku as the saiyan turned to face the dragon.

"You owe me some answers! Why did you do that to one of your own kind?" Goku asked and Syn shrugged.

"He was pathetic. He wouldn't kill the humans that lived here, only scared them away. He was barely even evil and a poor excuse of a dragon. He even spared your life once instead of crushing your neck. Besides, humans kill their own kind every day for no good reason, why can't I kill another dragon for a power boost?" Syn replied and Goku's face turned into a look of confusion.

"What power boost?" he asked. He hadn't sensed it as Syn was suppressing his energy signature.

"What power boost? The one I need to defeat you and your kind of course, or at least part of it." Syn replied with a sneer. The dragon then floated off his building and circled Goku.

"I'm going to have to thank your friends. They've saved me a lot of work. Thanks to them I can get all of the Dragonballs with out hunting and killing the other dragons." Syn explained and Goku frowned.

"They would never give you the Dragonballs." Goku replied and Syn laughed.

"Oh please. I could keep up with you even without a boost! They won't stand a chance against me and victory will be mine." He replied. Goku's eyes widened and he clenched his fist.

"Is that so?" Goku asked then quickly fired a blast at the dragon in a desperate attempt to stop it. Syn ducked and grabbed Goku's outstretched arm before pulling it behind the saiyan's back. Goku winced in pain.

"Make no mistake, Son Goku, I get stronger with every Dragonball I absorb. With just one I am your equal. Just imagine how powerful I'll be with all seven." The dragon hissed in Goku's ear.

"You won't get them all." Goku replied through gritted teeth. Syn chuckled.

"We'll see," he muttered and took the four-star ball, "and I'll tell your friends 'hi'." Then he let go and smacked Goku forward before disappearing. Goku quickly turned and stopped in mid air. He looked round for the dragon then growled as he raised his index and middle fingers to his forehead and disappeared, praying that he would get to the others in time.

* * *

A/n: well I got bored and typed this up. Surprise! And it looks like Syn Shenron is out to turn into Omega, oh what shall the gang at C.C do?

Well I tried to make Nuova look a little good but it's hard without him not killing Pan like in the series. But you can still sort of see how bad Syn is at least…

I also tried to shed some light on the whole fan fiction bound thing. After spending over a year on a RP board I picked up this whole bound theory that I'm going to try and explain in up coming chapters. In here is how I think they are made and I was kinda nervous about it just in case I'd go too far, but it doesn't seem that bad.

The final thing I wanted to do here was to tell you a little bit about the Kalroos, since Zara is half of one. I've been thinking about writing and adding in the black star hunt chapters and that would include a chapter or two on the Kalroos and their story but that would be if I get some persuasion. Typical that I get ideas for those chapters when I'm this far in the story really.

Reviews:

Chi: heh, sorry about that. And here's another one! Oh no! But I don't think I have many more cliffies coming up. :p  
TK is cool…there maybe a reason there for why most of my OC's seem to have it…and I already have some changes to Syn's fight and he's not even fighting yet! How'd I do that?

Trugeta: yea, trust her to be that way. Although I have no idea how she got stubborn. And the ironic thing is if she just swapped with Goku then she would have been in her element and right at home with Nuova's fire powers. Oh well.  
Ii Shenron? I have him down as Syn here. He has a few too many names. But thanks and I have a few surprises in store for Syn/Ii/Sin/Omega/whatever.

Rejhan: well he did save her; I'd just be mean to throw something else their way now. But I've finally gotten them together! Yay! And you're right about Eis. He just blinded Goku and got killed in the series. That was about it. Nice to actually have him fight.

Darksupersaiyan: thanks!

Well that's it; I'm just going to give you some questions to ponder over until next time. Why does Bulma need Zara and what has she got in store for the others? Will Goku make it in time to warn his friends and stop Syn Shenron? And will anyone guess what I'm going to do?

See you next time!


	33. chapter 32: power

**Chapter 32: power**

Capsule Corp was just as busy as ever when a certain couple touched down and they were quickly ushered towards Bulma's labs.

Bulma looked up from the screen she had been using to monitor the dragons and Z gang members, and frowned as they came in.

"Well, well. It's about time you got here. I thought I said hurry, not glacier speed." Bulma greeted, smirking at her son and Zara.

"Do you mind not mentioning anything to do with ice?" Zara asked sheepishly, obviously having enough after her encounter with the ice dragon. Bulma lent back in her chair as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I could but I think I'd rather just say I told you so." the scientist replied and then smiled.

"Now I should have a job for you if you're feeling all right and the others agree with me. Why don't you go join them so that I can start this meeting?" she finished and Trunks and Zara noticed all of the others - except for Goku - sitting or standing round the room.

"Aren't we going to wait for dad?" Gohan asked from his seat with his family as the young couple took their seats next to Goten. Bulma smiled at the scholar.

"I don't think its necessary. Besides, I think it'll be better to surprise him later." She replied and Gohan shared a curious glance with the others.

"Just what are you up to, onna?" Vegeta asked from his corner. Bulma didn't answer right away and instead made her way over to another computer console.

"Before we left planet Plant after Bebi was destroyed, I made a copy of all the files in my lab. They were mainly security tapes and schematics and I've been studying all of them lately." She explained as she pulled up a recording of Goku going golden Oozaru on to the monitor. She watched the short clip before going through the files.

"Not long ago I found this file and it helped me come up with an explanation for Goku's new transformation. It's really only a theory though but hopefully I'll be able to prove it right." She finished.

"What do you mean 'explanation'? Didn't he just get strong enough to use it?" Goten asked, confused and Bulma shock her head.

"Not quite. I think that you need to be at least past the basic super saiyan level to achieve this transformation; it's just hard to determine since Goku could go all the way to the third level."

"Onna, this isn't making any sense. What did you find?" Vegeta asked and Bulma turned to her mate.

"I found a clip of how exactly Goku transformed." She explained and then brought it up on the monitor.

**_Pan had been showing a photograph to a golden Oozaru Goku and after he had stared at it for sometime, he slapped her away to get a clear view of the earth again. _****_Pan almost hit the floor but managed to stop just in time and stared up at her grandpa. She had been sure that would work…_**

**_She slowly floated back up to him and stared at the big monkey that was hiding her grandpa inside. She couldn't take much more of this…_**

**_"Please remember grandpa. Please?" she begged him, her eyes welling up. Goku glanced back at her and noticed a single tear rolling down her cheek. It dripped off of her chin and onto his out stretched finger. He stared at it almost curiously and then back at the earth. Then something snapped inside him. He knew whom he was and what he had to do. It all fell into place and he could feel something deep within him. He just had to let it out…_**

**_Goku transformed._**

"Goku can't control his Oozaru form so his full power was out on display the whole time, but to access the transformation he needed something or someone – namely Pan – to remind him of who he was so that he could regain his control and start transforming. So I would think that it's safe to assume that any super saiyan or higher with control in their Oozaru form could transform a stage further." Bulma explained as soon as the clip had finished. Silence filled the room as everyone else took in this information and a smirk played on a certain saiyan prince's lips.

"Onna, are you suggesting what I think you are? That you could transform every saiyan in this room?" Vegeta asked, staring at his wife. Bulma nodded with a triumphant smirk on her face. Vegeta actually grinned at this and balled his hand into a fist.

"Ha! I shall become a super saiyan four and will be once again on an even playing field with Kakarot! His time as the strongest is coming to an end!" he declared and then noticed his wife.

"Sorry to interrupt your little celebration, dear, but 'super saiyan four'?" she asked, frowning. Vegeta raised a brow, losing his grin.

"Yes, what's wrong with super four?" he asked.

"Well it doesn't make much sense, now does it. It doesn't resemble a super saiyan at all and there is nothing to indicate it as the forth super saiyan level!" she exclaimed and Vegeta turned to properly face her with his arms folded across his chest in a commanding stance.

"Well what would you prefer me call it?" he asked and Bulma matched his stance.

"Evolved Oozaru, or Evo Oozaru for short." She replied and Vegeta scoffed.

"And how does that fit? It's the fourth transformation a saiyan can do that we have discovered so it should be super saiyan four." He returned calmly. Bulma began to glare.

"Super saiyan four is not scientifically correct. Evo Oozaru is as this transformation is obviously an evolved form of Oozaru that's built to handle the massive amount of power more effectively. Plus you need to go through Oozaru to achieve it in the first place! Besides, I worked out the theory behind it so shouldn't I be the one to name it?" she shot back. Vegeta smirked.

"No, Saiyan custom states that royalty has more of a right to name discoveries like this and I am the prince of all saiyans. It's Super saiyan four." Vegeta responded triumphantly. Bulma was about to retaliate when Trunks decided he had had enough of watching his parents 'verbal spar' (which was just a fancy way of saying squabble).

"Mother! Do you mind explaining just how you expect to turn us all in to super-er…give us this new transformation when most of us don't have tails or control in Oozaru?" he asked and Bulma turned to him with a relaxed look.

"I have two solutions for that. The first thing is to use a Brutze wave generator like the one I fixed on Plant and the second is to use psychic imagery on the uncontrolled Oozarus to make them remember and regain control, but only if Zara is willing to cooperate." Bulma replied and then shot a frown at her husband.

"And I'm going to refuse calling this new transformation super saiyan four. Its Evo Oozaru so there!" she shot at him and wore a triumphant grin whilst everyone else sweat dropped.

"So I'm going to have to try and keep a fully grown and probably angry Oozaru at bay whilst trying to snap some sense into him? No problem." Zara said slightly sarcastically, breaking the awkward silence that had settled after Bulma's little proclamation. Trunks put his arm round Zara and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm sure you could handle it and we'll all be there to help out. Besides, having all saiyans in super four/Evo Oozaru will be really beneficial. It'll be a lot easier defending the earth like that." He told her and Zara nodded before Goten broke in.

"That and Dad won't be able to go on at us about not being strong enough." He added, sporting a Son grin that probably would have done his father proud. The aspect of getting so much stronger had all of the saiyans excited.

Zara smirked at her two demi-saiyan friends.

"You don't have to tell me twice, I'm all for you guys getting stronger. It's just that holding off a sub super three and a super two gone Oozaru isn't exactly a walk in the park. And don't even get me started on Gohan and his whole mystic thing." She told them.

"Actually, I'm not sure I will transform." Gohan said, earning stares from all round the room.

"I just don't know how it would work with Mystic. If I go Oozaru then it might be like combining super saiyan with mystic and that could be catastrophic. Besides, I have something else in mind for me." He quickly explained with a quick glance at Zara but he refused to enlighten them on just what he had in mind at that point in time.

He didn't really have time to anyway as Goku suddenly appeared in the middle of the room in his super saiyan four form. He looked round at everyone frantically and then settled on Bulma.

"Bulma! Quickly, we don't have much time, where are the Dragonballs?" he asked. The aged scientist blinked before turning to the little trolley on the other end of the room.

"They're right there, why-" she started but was interrupted when the wall on her right exploded inwards and sent not only her but everyone else and most of the electrical equipment into the wall opposite.

Goku was the first to jump to his feet and what he saw when he got there was enough to really get him panicked. Syn Shenron was in the lab and had already gotten to the Dragonballs. The dragon now held out the five-star ball, absorbing it just like he had already managed to do to the two and seven starred balls. Syn laughed when he saw the hero's face and the five-star ball sank into his hand and appeared in his chest with the other balls.

By this point all of the other fighters had climbed to their feet and Gohan was helping up his mother and wife whilst Goten helped Marron. Goku glanced at them, frowning.

"You guys have to get out of here! Now!" He yelled at them.

"But Goku-!" Zara started but Bulma stopped her.

"Teleport us to Plant! We should be able to get back up there since most of the Dragonballs are back to normal!" she hissed and Zara hesitated before making sure that everyone except for Goku and Syn were connected to herself or Uub. She bit her lip and then both she and Uub vanished along with all of the others, leaving only Goku and Syn in the lab.

Syn allowed the six-star Dragonball to sink into his skin as he smirked at the heroic saiyan before him.

"How noble of you, making your friends leave like that. I'm surprised you didn't take them yourself but I suppose you'd rather take me down." Syn commented. Goku narrowed his eyes as he stared at Syn. The Dragonballs were now all blue again and arranged on the dragon's chest as a row of three sandwiched between two rows of two. And then Syn's power level had risen dramatically so that it was even higher then anything Goku had ever sensed before and he knew that Syn was probably hiding more.

"What can I say? I like to see things through." Goku replied and sank into a tight stance. Syn laughed at this.

"Do you really believe that you stand a chance? I'm no longer a lowly dragon. I am THE dragon, Omega Shenron: the most powerful in the universe! You won't stand a chance." The dragon replied.

"Well we'll see about that." Goku shot back. Omega smirked.

"Very well."

Omega lunged forward in a movement far too fast for Goku to track, and the dragon slammed his fist into the saiyan's jaw. Goku was sent flying threw roof of the lab before Omega appeared above him and attempted to kick the saiyan towards the centre of the city. Goku just managed to twist round in time to block the kick but Omega's skin became blazing hot and Goku had to quickly withdraw.

"That's Nuova's power…" Goku muttered to himself and Omega laughed.

"Yes it is. Absorbing the Dragonballs gave me the powers of the other dragons. They're actually quite useful, such as this one," the dragon explained and then quickly fired five white blasts at Goku which hit the saiyan's arms, legs and torso, completely freezing them in a coating of ice. Goku gasped and looked up at Omega in time to see the dragon creating a ball of electricity in his cupped hands. The dragon smirked and fired the electric ball at Goku who had no choice but to be hit. Goku gritted his teeth in pain before he powered up and broke apart the ice. He then charged at the dragon, who moved aside before throwing something that could only be described as razor sharp air at Goku. The air left a rather large gash on Goku's arm after he attempted to dodge and the he was left grabbing his arm in pain.

"Let me see, that's the 5, 3 and 6 star dragons. Do you need a further demonstration?" Omega asked mockingly. Goku frowned at the dragon. Things didn't look good. Omega was only playing with him and what Goku could sense off the dragon was over shadowing his own power. Son Goku was going to need help.

The large group of people landed in a heap outside the building on Plant that Bulma had been using as a lab. Everyone quickly scrambled off of each other and looked around.

"We're back here? How come?" Pan asked as she took in the red skies and rocky terrain.

"Because there's no one here that would be hurt by a couple of rogue Oozaru's, that's why." Zara explained as Trunks helped her up. Gohan looked towards the earth, which could be easily seen in the sky.

"I just want to know how we got here. I thought there was a barrier stopping anything from getting to or off Earth." He commented.

"Simple, since you guys managed to get all but one Dragonball to return to normal, the barrier disappeared." Bulma explained.

"And its not going back up, but I can sense a huge evil energy coming from west city and it's way above Goku's." Trunks added.

"All the more reason for us all to reach level four! When do we start?" Pan asked, rubbing her hands together eagerly. The others all looked at Pan and Bra hesitantly before Videl spoke up.

"I don't think you two should reach this level just yet." She said softly. Pan's jaw dropped.

"What? Why not?" she asked and Videl looked to Chichi for help.

"You're just not ready yet and it'll be dangerous. Let the adults handle the dragons and transformation, we don't want you getting hurt." The elder woman explained and Pan started grumbling to herself. Zara turned to Bulma.

"But Pan's right though, the dragon is a lot more powerful then Goku so we better hurry with this transforming thing." She explained and the scientist nodded before leading everyone into the building.

Bulma hurried to a control panel in the dusty room and started working on the controls. The sounds of mechanical gears moving could be heard as the rebuilt satellites moved into position out side. Bulma had bought this building along with the land needed to build a capsule corporation warehouse and the black star's vault. She had fixed it up and was now glad that she had. They now had a ready-made Brutze wave generator.

Bulma turned to the group of saiyans behind her.

"Ok, we'll have to do this one at a time so that you'll be easier to control and also to give Zara a break from using her telepathy on you. I think that Vegeta should go first as he has control in his Oozaru form." She told the group. The others nodded and Vegeta flew outside to where the generator could work on him. Bulma then turned back to the console and typed in some commands. The satellites on top of the building adjusted slightly and Bulma hesitated as she stared at the button that would start the generator.

"Here goes nothing." She muttered and pressed it. The generator whirled to life and the satellites began to glow with a green light. Vegeta smirked before the light radiated out and hit him.

The changes came almost instantly. His face grew out into a snout; his eyes became completely red as he lost his pupils and irises and finally brown fur spread across his body. As he could control his Oozaru form, he didn't become a golden Oozaru right away as he controlled the amount of power he had on display but it didn't take long for him to power up and his fur to become golden.

Vegeta took a mount to take in the power he was radiating before he moved on to the next stage. He could feel a deep reservoir of energy within him and he had to let it out…

The changes came just as they had with Goku. Vegeta let out a mighty roar as his power began to increase and his body shrank. His fur went back to brown, although it was slightly darker then Goku's. His face contorted back into its original saiyan appearance and his eyes became similar to that of a super saiyan, only red instead of teal. His hair then returned to its flame like appearance and lengthened out so that he now had hair draping across his shoulders.

Vegeta let out a long sigh as he relaxed and then looked over himself. All that was missing was the tail but that didn't seem very important.

Cheering could be heard from inside the building. Bulma was grinning to herself over the success of her husband's transformation and everyone else was crowding round the windows.

"Alright! Dad's gone super four…or whatever we're calling it! And he looks way better then Goku does as well." Bra noted, grinning. Pan frowned at her friend.

"You're joking, grandpa Goku is the best in that form and you'll see it when grandpa beats that evil dragon." she told Bra.

"You're dreaming." The other girl replied and Pan crossed her arms stubbornly.

"No I'm not! Besides, appearance isn't everything. I bet Grandpa's stronger." She replied and two aged women exchanged a glance.

"It looks like looks aren't the only thing that passed on." Chichi commented and Bulma nodded, secretly agreeing with her daughter.

Vegeta floated back through the window and into the centre of the room, smirking the whole time. The others admired the new transformation before Bulma stepped forward.

"I think it'll probably be less energy consuming for you to return to normal. You're going to need your energy to fight that dragon." Bulma pointed out. Vegeta decided that his wife was right but was hesitant about dropping out of the transformation. He eventually did so but frowned as soon as he was back to normal.

"Now what's wrong?" Bulma asked. Vegeta frowned and increased his power just to get nothing.

"I can't transform again." He stated and looked up at his wife who was now positively stumped. She didn't see any reason as to why he wouldn't be able to transform again.

"Maybe its because he lost his tail?" Trunks suggested and Bulma felt like slapping herself.

"Of course! It's the tail that sustains the Oozaru transformation so it's probably the same with Evo Oozaru!" she explained.

"Super saiyan four…" Vegeta corrected her but she ignored him.

"I could try and grow back your tails with some especially designed hormones but all of my equipment for that is back on earth and I have no idea how long it will take." She continued.

"It doesn't matter, they'll just have to fight with out tails. They'll just have to hold that dragon off until I can execute my plan." Gohan explained. Goten stared at his brother curiously.

"What are you up to, Gohan? What plan?" he asked.

"I'll tell you later, right now all you have to know is that it doesn't look good for dad. That dragon is more then strong enough to handle one super saiyan four and dad is going to need all the help he can get in defeating him. You guys better all become super fours and leave me to worry about my part." Gohan replied and wouldn't say anymore. Instead Bulma moved onto transforming her husband again.

Goku panted as he stared at Omega Shenron. This dragon was next to impossible to hit! And Omega only seemed to be getting stronger.

"You look a little tired. Is this too much for your feeble little body to handle?" Omega mocked. Goku smirked at the dragon.

"Nah, I'm only just getting started." Goku replied and then instant translocated in front of the dragon and tried to hit him with a barrage of punches, kicks and any other attack Goku could think of at light speeds, all of which Omega effortlessly dodged before he grabbed Goku's final kick.

"Looks like you need a little pick me up already then." Omega smirked before tossing the saiyan up into the air the materialising at his side and kicking him through several buildings. Goku just managed to turn himself round and stop when Omega appeared in front of him and let lose a fireball right into Goku's face. Goku cried out in pain before he was kicked right into the ground 10 stories below.

Omega floated down to the crater Goku had made and peered into it. The saiyan had already disappeared and Omega quickly looked for the saiyan before he heard something above him.

"Ka…me…ha…me…HA!" Goku screamed and Omega looked up to see the ki wave hurtling towards him. He didn't move and when the beam exploded, it took the whole business district with it. Goku waited patiently for the smoke to subside, already knowing what he'd see. When he could finally get a clear view, Omega could be clearly seen standing casually in an enormous crater completely unharmed.

"Good light show." Omega commented. Goku growled at the dragon before he sensed something far off. Goku glanced towards the sphere in the sky that was planet plant.

_What are they doing up there?_ He wondered.

Zara grunted as she dodged another mouth blast from the golden Oozaru that was her boyfriend. She steered to the left just as an over sized paw slammed into the ground, barely missing her. She growled then watched the brown blur that was super saiyan four Vegeta barge into the giant monkey's stomach.

"Come on girl! What are you waiting for?" the saiyan prince called to her and she frowned at him.

"It's not that easy when there's a giant monkey around trying to step on you!" she yelled back at him then focused. She needed to draw up the right memory to try and give Trunks back his control. And it wasn't all that easy, so far she had forced him to re-live a host of childhood memories but nothing was working.

She continued to mentally shift through Trunks's somewhat jumbled mind when she noticed something within herself. She wasn't sure what it was at first then she realised that they were emotions but not her own. She hadn't recognised it at first as she wasn't an experienced empath and they weren't very strong but then she realised that what she was feeling was Trunks's emotions. This confused her as she'd never before experienced someone else's emotions but she decided to use it to her own advantage and not worry about why it was there.

She subconsciously held on to the bite mark Trunks had left on her shoulder whilst she shifted through his memories with more success now that she was paying attention to his emotions. It didn't take long for her to bring up the right memory. It was of when they made up just after he had rescued her from Eis Shenron's ice and not long after it had played all the way through, Trunks began to shrink. His fur turned a dark brown like Vegeta's and his hair became lavender again, growing out to his shoulders and soon he had completely transformed in to a super saiyan four.

Trunks looked over himself quickly and then at Zara as she touched down in front of him. She quickly swept her eyes over him and smiled.

"Well you did it." She commented. Trunks rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well yea. And…?" he asked. Zara's smiled broadened and she stepped up to him.

"I like it." She told him and quickly leant in for a kiss. When they were done they became very aware of everyone watching them.

"Say, isn't it Goten's go?" Trunks asked no one in particular to try and draw attention away from him and Zara.

"It better be. Dad probably won't hold out for long and there's no way Trunks gets to be this much more powerful then me!" Goten called and quickly dropped into the courtyard they were using.

Goku was on the run. Omega was proving to be too strong for one super saiyan four to handle so he needed time to re group and form a new strategy. So far he wasn't having much luck.

Goku had found an abandoned building to hide in and was trying to suppress his power level with little luck. The entire left wall caved in as Omega stepped into the building, showing Goku how futile it was too hide. Omega was always going to find him.

Goku growled at the dragon before trying to instant translocate out of the building. Omega had other ideas and materialised in front of the saiyan, executing a flawless axe kick. Goku raised his arm to block but the dragon quickly shifted his wait and kicked Goku's side, sending him through the wall. He was still travelling backwards when Omega appeared above him and thrust his fist towards the saiyan. Goku had no time to block and was hit. Omega fired a blast into the saiyan's chest and continued to fire as Goku fell towards the floor but he disappeared before he hit it. Omega frowned and disappeared himself.

Goku was hiding down an alley, trying to catch his breath when Omega materialised in front of him, hanging upside down in mid air so that he could look right into Goku's eyes. Goku flinched, expecting an attack but what he wasn't expecting was for it to come from below. The ground beneath him glowed before a blast shot up from its surface, blasting Goku into the air. He tried to regain control of his flight but Omega appeared beside him and kicked the saiyan in the gut, changing the saiyan's direction. The dragon sped past the saiyan and spin-kicked him to another point of the city before appearing above the saiyan and slamming him into the ground.

Goku clenched his fists, scooping up some dirt, as he was lying faced down in a small impact crater. Things were really not looking good.

Goten let out a mighty roar as his power levelled off. He was now standing in the centre of the courtyard in full super saiyan four mode. He let out a long sigh and relaxed, taking in his new transformation.

Bulma watched Goten and then turned to the older Son man standing next to her.

"Gohan, are you sure you don't want to transform like the others?" she asked and he shook his head.

"I have something better in mind which should hopefully be better. I just need a little help." He explained and then went out of the window to meet the others. He quickly complimented Goten on his new transformation and then pulled Zara aside.

"I wanted to ask you about your little dome shield technique. It's not like other ki shields, is it?" He asked. She raised her brow and looked at him curiously.

"No, it isn't. Why?" she asked. Gohan only nodded thoughtfully.

"How much energy is needed to sustain it? I need to know how big a strain it is to use." He told her.

"Not much, really it depends on the person I guess. It's only ever a big strain if someone is trying to get through. Why do you ask?"

"I need to learn it." He replied, smiling. Zara blinked and tilted her head to the side.

"What, right now? Isn't defeating that dragon more important?" she asked.

"It'll go towards defeating him." Gohan explained. Zara's confused expression prompted him into explaining.

"I think I know of a way to combine my mystic form with super saiyan, the only problem is that the energy produced is too high. Every time I attempt it, it feels like the planet might actually break apart. I've tried a number of ki shields to try and keep the energy in with me but as they are ki based themselves, it doesn't exactly work. The energy build up is too great and they become destructive. But the one you use is different. I've seen you hold off enemies that are way stronger then you with it, like when we were battling Super 17. Then no one has ever been able to sense you whilst you were behind the shield, which has led me to believe that its not a ki shield and it will be able to contain my power. In theory if I use that then the ki its made of won't become too strong and lash out and destroy everything in comes into contact with, since its not actually ki." He explained. Zara nodded, frowning.

"You're right, it's not ki exactly. There's some ki mixed in but I also use some of my telekinetic ability to strengthen it. You would have to learn how to use telekinesis before you could even attempt a small shield and there isn't enough time if you want to use it in fighting that dragon." She told him.

"Time is not an issue. When Dende wished the earth back after Kid Buu had destroyed it, the hyperbolic time chamber was reset. We can use that whilst the others keep the dragon busy." he replied.

"Look, Gohan, to be honest with you I don't know how long it'll take. You'll need to have developed telekinesis for this and I don't know if even a saiyan could master it fast enough." She said softly.

"Well then we'll have to risk it. It's the only way I can think of that might actually give us enough power to finish this." He replied and could see Zara contemplating this as she focused on the dragon's energy signature. Finally she let out a long sigh.

"Fine then, Gohan. I'll teach you how to do the shield and telekinesis, but you better win if it works." She told him and Gohan flashed her the son grin.

"I don't exactly plan on losing." He replied. Zara nodded but she was still worried. They now had a plan but they still had no idea if it would work. Only time could tell…

* * *

A/N: well this was longer then I thought it would be. So what do you all think of my plan? Think someone guessed the Gohan part ages ago but no one seemed to think of everyone going to the forth level. Why should Goku and Vegeta have all the fun? : D

Reviews:

Chi: I have no idea, oh well. He's actually started fighting now and it is different. Goku's still hiding but their not in an amusement park…  
and a day late isn't that bad, least you r&r (hint to other people…heh…)

Rejhan: I know, might have been nice to have them get together sooner. Least their together now, I could have been mean and carried on messing with them. Then I mentioned/hinted on part of the bond here in this chapter. I'll go on to explain it properly after the omega show down.

Darksupersaiyan: close, he will fight Goku and Vegeta. Least you took a guess, that much deserves a metaphoric cookie.

Trugeta: thanks, and I guess your guess is close too. I've shown everyone my big plan in this chapter so you'll probably be able to guess how it'll finish now.


	34. chapter 33: time

Chapter 33: time

Goku panted as he climbed to his feet yet again. Nothing was working against this dragon. He had tried everything he could think of on Omega but to no success. Omega Shenron was just too strong.

The dragon smirked down at Goku from his place in the sky. West City had been reduced to nothing more then a city-sized crater through the fighting and most of the rubble had been reduced to noting more then grains of sand. And just like the great city, Goku was nearly at his end, just like how Omega had expected.

"Well I'm afraid you're starting to get repetitive now, Son Goku. I think it's about time I ended this!" Omega called down to earth's champion. Goku stared up at the dragon, gritting his teeth and Omega raised a hand over his head, a ki-blast flickering to life above it.

"Good bye." He finished before hurling the blast towards Goku. The saiyan prepared himself for the impact but it never came. Instead three familiar kis and a voice greeted him.

"Hey dad, you ok?"

Goku looked up to see a rather hairy version of Goten and Trunks at his side and then Vegeta was above them holding back the ki blast. Goku blinked.

"Vegeta, Goten, Trunks? You guys transformed? How-?" he asked.

"Nice to see you too Kakarot, you better still be able to fight." Vegeta called before he managed to kick the apocalyptic blast back at Omega, who dodged despite his surprise. Goku climbed to his feet with a little help from his son.

"Just how did this happen?" he asked the smirking faces.

"Mum worked it out and had us transform. She hasn't got the title of resident genius for nothing." Trunks replied. Goku nodded and then glanced around for a fourth face.

"What about Gohan? Couldn't he transform as well?" he asked.

"He didn't want to. He said he had some big idea, grabbed Zara and took off for the lookout, saying we have to keep the dragon busy." Goten replied. Goku nodded then looked up at the dragon.

"Well then we better do as he says. Omega may be strong but four transformed saiyans ought to have more of a chance." He said calmly, although he didn't know how much their chances had actually improved.

Omega had grown tired of watching the four super saiyans and frowned deeply at them.

"Sorry to disturb your little reunion but I would like to have your fates sealed before the turn of the century." Omega called hotly. The four super saiyan fours turned their attention back to the floating dragon.

"On the contrary, dragon, it will be us sealing your fate!" Vegeta replied, smirking confidently. Omega scoffed.

"I don't think so. It doesn't matter how much your numbers grow, I will still wipe you all out along with this planet!"

"I doubt that," Vegeta replied and turned to the others, "you boys ready to test out our new form?"

The boys nodded and all the new super saiyan fours rushed forward, signifying the start of round two.

The lookout seemed to be the only place on earth that had stayed perfectly calm since the dragons had been released. Dende and Mr Popo stood by the edge of the lookout with an ever-watchful Piccolo, watching the earth below, when Zara and Gohan materialised in the centre of the holy structure. Mr Popo was the only one to turn his head towards the new arrivals. Zara was stretching a few kinks out of her back after not having any time to after literally dropping off the others and Gohan was watching her.

"That was kind of a rough ride." Gohan commented as Zara straightened up.

"Yea, well its not exactly instant translocation. Plant is only just in my range from earth's surface." She replied.

"Gohan? Zara? What are you two doing up here?" Mr Popo cut in, attracting Dende's attention in the process. Gohan's head turned to look at the genie and grounds keeper.

"Hi Mr Popo, we were hoping we'd be able to use the hyperbolic time chamber. It'll be a big help!" he quickly explained. Popo glanced towards Dende who nodded. From what he could sense and had seen, it was obvious that Goku and the others would need all the help they could get.

Mr Popo turned back to the two warriors and began to lead the way to the chamber in question.

"Follow me, you'll have to hurry. This dragon is stronger then anything you've ever faced before, it's hard to say how long the others will last against him." The genie explained seriously. Gohan's face morphed into a serious look as he followed Popo deep into the lookout along with Zara.

"I know, but they should be able to last long enough." Gohan replied. Popo nodded before he came to a halt in front of a large wooden door.

"It sounds to me like you're putting a lot of faith into your friends." He commented before opening the door.

"They're a lot more resilient then they look. They can do it." Gohan assured the genie, who nodded.

"That they are. I'll see you in a days time." He replied.

"Thanks Mr Popo." Gohan said before leading a hesitant Zara into the hyperbolic time chamber, the door closing behind them.

Zara took a deep breath as she entered, completely aware that Gohan was watching her carefully. She held on to her bite mark before making her way through the little homely area that was the living quarters.

"So what are we dealing with here? Thinner air, heavier gravity," she started and made her way out of the living quarters, "and a huge, never ending white void?" her eyes widened as she stared round at the nothingness. She had heard Trunks and Goten mention their own time in the time chamber but they never mentioned anything about the endless expansion of empty space.

"You ok?" Gohan asked in an amused voice. Zara turned to face him with a disbelieving smile on her face.

"Yea, just peachy. It's just not what I expected." She replied. Gohan walked over to her side.

"It never is, but that's what makes life interesting." He pointed out and then smiled down at her.

"So, you ready to get started?"

Zara nodded and led the way out, stopping a good distance away from the chamber's exit. Gohan stood a couple of paces away from her.

"Well I'm not much of a teacher, this is my first time." She started, wearing a thoughtful expression.

"Not a problem, I'm a good student, or at least should be by now." Gohan replied, making Zara sweat drop and nod.

"Ok, well we both know about ki; the energy that is within us all and helps hold are bodies together as well as giving us the power to make ki blasts and use bukujutsu. Well what we're looking for is a little different." She explained and took in a deep breath before continuing.

"What we're looking for is your psychic or psi energy. This is what holds the mind together and allows a person to use telekinesis, telepathy, precognitive abilities and some forms of empathy. For the dome shield, you're going to have to use psi energy to strengthen it and to stop other people from sensing you, if that's what you want. And it should also hold the shield when you power up, as combining mystic and super saiyan will mainly increase your ki, not your psi energy."

Gohan nodded as he listened to her explanation.

"So how do I access it? And strengthen it at that." he asked.

"Well meditation is the best way for beginners. There are a few simple exercises we could try to start you off with before we get into the harder stuff." Zara explained and then went on to set him a task

Vegeta swung at Omega Shenron just to have the dragon slap away Vegeta's forearm. The saiyan prince growled at this, Omega was getting increasingly harder to hit as this little 'game' continued. And of course Vegeta's anger was also increasing.

Vegeta jumped away from the dragon before lunging forward and feinting a punch before performing a round house instead. Omega was hit but that didn't stop him from grabbing Vegeta's incoming fist. Trunks chose this moment to appear behind the dragon and attempted to use a double fisted blow on the back of the dragons skull but Omega quickly turned and kicked the young prince in the gut before swinging Vegeta into his son.

Goten flew towards the dragon and fired a series of ki blasts at him but Omega was unaffected by them as he allowed them to hit. Trunks and Vegeta then attacked together, Vegeta aiming for the base of the dragon's neck with a quick chop and Trunks trying to hit the dragon's back with a well-aimed kick. Omega ducked under Vegeta but was hit a few feet forward by the kick. Goten then flew toward the dragon for a kick to the head the same time Trunks flew in for a punch and Omega ducked at the last moment, causing both fighters to hit each other instead of the target.

Vegeta growled as he watched the two younger saiyans, then focused his own attack onto the dragon. Omega turned just in time to see several ki blasts flying towards him and quickly phased out of sight. All three of the supped up saiyans looked frantically around for the dragon, unable to get a lock on to his ki.

"Above you!" Goku yelled from the ground where he was trying to power up and re-gain some of his energy. The other three saiyans looked at Goku and then turned to look above them where Omega could be seen with an apocalyptic ball of energy swirling around in his raised hands. Omega smirked before he lowered his hands and sent the ball hurtling towards the saiyans so fast that they didn't stand a chance of dodging.

Vegeta and the boys caught it and each tried to hold the ball off until it exploded and sent all three saiyans hurtling into the floor below.

Vegeta was the first to get up and he growled when he laid his blood red eyes on the evil dragon. This was going to be harder then he thought.

And he hadn't expected it to be easy to begin with.

Gohan's eyes were closed as he continued to meditate. He'd been trying to control his psi energy for what seemed like months now. He had managed to find it but using it was still proving to be a problem.

Zara was floating next to him with her legs crossed in a similar fashion. She was watching Gohan carefully as he continued to concentrate on an object she had placed in front of him: one of the wooden chairs from the dining area. Usually someone wouldn't start trying to levitate something so big but they didn't have a lot of time to work on Gohan's control and strength.

She watched him a little bit longer before speaking in a soft and steady voice.

"Feel out the energy of the room and focus on the chair. Feel it out so that you have a clear picture in your mind. Now picture a hand coming out of your mind and gripping the chair. The hand is your psi energy. Try and move the hand like you would any other. Have it lift the chair off of the ground. Lift it as high as you can. Now open your eyes."

Gohan complied with everything she said and as he opened his eyes, the sight of the chair floating a foot off of the ground greeted him.

"Whoa…is that me doing that?" he asked, still concentrating. Zara nodded and floated down so that her feet could touch the ground.

"Looks like its time to move on." She announced.

Vegeta and Goku both circled Omega together before they both swooped in, Vegeta trying to attack low on Omega's body and Goku going high. Omega bended round Vegeta's kick and grabbed Goku's wrist, tossing him over his shoulder. Goku twisted round in mid-air and fired a series of blasts as Vegeta made a hasty escape. Omega allowed the blasts to hit him before he slapped the last few away and charged towards Goku at light speed, ramming his head into the saiyan's gut. Goku gasped then tried to punch the dragon but Omega had already moved and punched the saiyan hard across the jaw. Vegeta rushed in to try and help his long time ally and friend by jump kicking the dragon but Omega caught the prince's foot and swung him aside.

On the ground, Goten turned his head towards Trunks.

"You ready?" he called and Trunks nodded, checking that they were exactly six paces apart.

"Let's do this." He replied and matched his friend's pose, legs shoulder length apart and his hands pointing away from his friend.

"Fu…" they cried together, closing the gap between them as they moved their arms round in an arc to point at the other man.

"…Sion…" as soon as they had closed the gap they changed their stances so that their out side knee pointed towards the other man whilst their arms were fully out stretched and pointing away.

"…HA!" they finished as both men bent over so that their index fingers were outstretched and touching whilst they still faced front. They were both engulfed by a bright light and when it faded, one man stood in their place with a hair style fairly similar to Goten's – spiked to the side – but was lavender on both sides with black running through the middle. His super saiyan four fur was dark like Trunks's had been and he wore the usual fusion outfit: a dark blue waistcoat with a yellow collar and yellow round above the arms, white baggy trousers and a light blue cloth belt and light blue cloth above his black shoes. His red eyes quickly shot towards Omega Shenron.

"Looks like Gotenks is up to bat!" he announced in his fused voice as the two older saiyans moved aside to allow the fused warrior a chance to attack. Omega was hardly impressed with the boy's fusion but Gotenks didn't care. He smirked up at the dragon before materialising in front of him.

"We can do this slowly or quickly, your choice." Gotenks told the dragon. Omega swept his eyes over the fused warrior then smirked himself.

"Whatever is best for you, you can't win." The dragon replied before implanting his fist into Gotenks's gut. Gotenks growled then threw his head up so that it collided with the dragon's jaw. Omega gasped and Gotenks quickly kicked the dragon in the side and followed through with a spin punch to his chest. Omega gasped as the air escaped from his lungs then growled, throwing his fist at the fused saiyan. Gotenks leant back slightly to avoid it but Omega opened up his palm and fired a blast into Gotenks's face, sending him flying backwards.

Gotenks growled as he stopped and straightened himself. He glared up at Omega and powered up slightly. He then bent over and concentrated, producing six white blobs from his mouth that quickly morphed into what looked like ghosts of him. Gotenks smirked up at Omega as the dragon raised a brow and stared at all of the ghosts curiously.

On the sidelines, Vegeta sweat dropped and slapped his face.

"I thought he got rid of all of those childish moves." He muttered, Gotenks over hearing him and turning towards the saiyan prince.

"Hey! The super ghost kamikaze attack is perfectly good and is guaranteed to work!" the fused saiyan yelled at his father. Vegeta frowned at him.

"Tell it to Buu." He replied calmly. Gotenks rolled his eyes.

"One attempt and they label it for life…" he muttered then turned back to face Omega and the ghosts.

"Super ghosts attack!" Gotenks yelled and all six of the ghosts quickly raced towards the dragon as Gotenks crouched into a stance with his hands cupped at his side.

The ghosts each spread out so that they were in a tight circle round the dragon and then each charged towards him. Omega flew up to avoid them but they each followed him and circled back whenever he dodged. Omega frowned, getting annoyed by the little white nuisances and powered up as he slapped the nearest one away. This didn't work however, as the ghost exploded on impact, singing the dragon's hand. The others then got the chance to clamp down onto any available place on Omega's body, as the first ghost caught the dragon off guard when it exploded, and they all blew as soon as they had found a secure position.

Meanwhile, Gotenks had managed to charge up a powerful blast in his hands and was taking the ghosts explosions as a marker. As soon as the final ghost had gone, Gotenks fired the kamehameha at the dragon. It was a direct hit and after it exploded, all of the saiyans waited patiently for the smoke to subside, Gotenks smirking proudly.

That is until Omega's laughter reached his ears and the smoke died down enough for Omega to be clearly seen.

"Good attempt, but still not quite there." the dragon said after he calmed down. Gotenks fumed as he glared at the dragon.

"Strike one…"he muttered, then charged, this time with Goku and Vegeta following.

Gohan let out a deep breath as the yellow energy that was his own dome shield dissipated. Zara smirked at him from her spot a few feet away.

"That was pretty good. It could be a little stronger but it should hopefully do. I'm surprised you managed to learn it this quickly. You saiyans are something all right." Zara commented. Gohan had managed to strengthen his psi energy and learn how to use the dome shield in only six months. That was pretty impressive considering most people took years to learn how to manipulate their energy.

"Thanks. I'd like to try and get it stronger but that would use up more time unnecessarily. It'll be better just to get through this as quickly as possible." He told her and Zara just nodded. She was getting worried about Trunks…

Gohan watched her carefully and then smiled at her.

"So how about we try combining the two transformations? Might as well make sure that it works." Gohan suggested. Zara grinned and stepped back.

"Good idea. I'm getting curious as to how it's going to look." She said.

"Me too. I just hope it doesn't look as weird as super three. Don't really want to have that much hair." He replied and Zara eyed his already long hair.

"Then you might want to get a hair cut soon. You're starting to look kind of shaggy." She pointed out Gohan laughed and swept his eyes over Zara's own hairstyle.

"Well so are you. It'll be back at its original length if you keep this up." He pointed out. Zara frowned at his over exaggeration then ran a hand through her hair. It had already grown down to her shoulders in their time in the chamber.

Gohan smiled and then crouched down into a stance.

"Well I better get started, we'll never know if it's going to work else." He pointed out and then began to power up. The yellowish dome shield went up around him before his power up intensified, his aura growing more violent within. Zara tried to focus on Gohan's power level but it was futile through the shield. She had no idea just how Gohan would measure up to the dragon.

Gohan began to scream as his power increased. His eyes gained a teal haze and his hair stood on end, flashing gold until it stayed gold with black streaks running through it as a perfect blend between mystic and super saiyan. Ki bolts ran down his body and his muscle mass grew until Gohan let out a deep breath as he settled into his new super mystic form. Zara blinked several times as she stared at him then smirked.

"Wow, you did it. You look…wow." Zara commented as Gohan stared down at his hands. He flexed them and then looked up at Zara.

"Yea, I did. I just don't know if it will tear everything up if I let the shield down. I can't fight like this." He explained. Zara bit her lip as she thought over the predicament, her golden eyes sweeping over shield.

"Well you could drop the shield just to see and power down if it gets too hectic. If it does tear everything up then I could teach you how to mould the shield to your body. You'd easily be able to fight like that. It would just take another month of training." She said. Gohan nodded and thought it over. He could just learn how to mould the shield but that could end up being wasted time if he could walk around normally once transformed. He was going to have to test it.

"Ok, I'm letting it down so get ready." He replied and Zara nodded as she raised her own power level. Gohan waited for her to level off then allowed the shield to dissipate. For a short moment it looked as though everything would be all right and Zara was able to take in the full extent of Gohan's incredible power level, until one of the ki bolts running down his body lashed out and hit the ground. After that more bolts lashed out and Zara soon found herself dodging bolts of ki.

"Ah! Power down already!" she called as she jumped over one bolt just to be hit by another. She was sent skidding across the ground and Gohan hastily powered down before he flew over to check on her. Zara moaned as she sat up and Gohan frowned lightly.

"You're bleeding but that seems to be the worst of it." He said slowly and Zara frowned at him as she wiped away some of the blood on her forehead.

"Well it looks like you've got another lesson." She said then sighed. Gohan blinked at her sudden change of behaviour and stared at her sad face.

"What's wrong?" he asked. She peered up at him.

"What do you think is wrong? We're stuck in here training whilst Trunks and the others fight an overly powerful evil dragon! We can't even see if they're all holding out ok!" she snapped and held onto her bite mark almost protectively. She knew he was still alive but she was still kind of new at feeling someone else's emotions and the hyperbolic time chamber wasn't helping since Trunks was on the outside. She could feel him but it was getting hard.

Gohan watched her behaviour carefully and eyed where she kept her hand curiously. It took a while for the reason to dawn on him.

_Poor kid, can't be easy for all this stuff to come along when they're just starting out…_he thought and then smiled reassuringly.

"I'm sure they're fine. We're just going to have to hurry to make sure it stays that way. We both sensed that super fours wouldn't last against that dragon so our only chance is for me to learn this technique. You sensed how strong I am just then and I still have level two up my sleeve just in case. I'll learn this technique and then finish this so that you can be with Trunks just like you want. It won't take that much longer in reality." He assured her. Zara watched him carefully then flashed him a weak smile.

"Thanks Gohan." She said softly Gohan nodded and stood up, offering her a hand.

"So what do you say we get started?" he asked. Zara nodded and took the hand, getting ready to start on the next part.

Vegeta breathed heavily as he watched the fight above him between Gotenks and Omega Shenron. Goku floated at Vegeta's side with a little less energy.

"I can't believe this. We've all been fighting at our maximums and still Omega has hardly broken a sweat. Gohan is going to need to get here soon or our super saiyan four forms are going to be impossible to sustain." Goku said between breaths. Vegeta frowned.

"I know Kakarot but what would you have me do? Fusion doesn't seem to work as Gotenks is showing us and Omega is obviously holding back. I don't see how we can hold him off for long." He replied. Goku sighed and then powered up again.

"Well sitting here isn't helping. We're not gathering much energy so we might as well get in there. Gotenks won't last much longer." Goku pointed out and then took off, closely followed by Vegeta.

Gotenks ducked under a blow before he thrust an elbow towards the dragon. Omega caught it, smirking, before kneeing Gotenks in the gut. Gotenks doubled over and the dragon struck again before charging up an electricity ball and releasing it into the fusion's back. Gotenks cried out in pain before Omega's foot slammed into his back, sending him crashing into the ground below.

Omega smirked at his handy work but was then forced to duck as Goku's fist came flying into view. Omega frowned at the saiyan, slamming his fist into Goku's gut and blasting him away.

"FINAL FLASH!" Vegeta's voice called from behind and Omega turned round to a face full of ki that exploded on impact. Vegeta flew through the smoke in a jump kick aimed at the dragon's chest that hit its target out of the smoke cloud. Omega flipped round so that he was facing his new challenger but instead of Vegeta, Goku's foot greeted him as the saiyan performed an instant translocated kick. Vegeta then flew round Goku to land punch across the dragons jaw and Goku slammed his elbow into the dragon's chest.

Omega growled and powered up so that electric bolts flowed down his body and shocked his two-saiyan attackers. They both retreated and Gotenks appeared in their place with his fists laced together. He flung them down to meet the dragon but Omega grabbed his wrists mere moments before impact. Gotenks struggled to break free and Omega powered up a little more before releasing the full force of an electric build up. Gotenks screamed in pain before the dragon slammed his knee into his gut and then tossed the fused warrior to the ground.

Gotenks managed to stop his decent before he reached the ground and quickly powered up, letting out an animal cry as he let go of some of his anger Omega had caused. He then took off and sped towards the dragon so that he would come up from behind. Omega smirked to himself as he felt the enraged saiyan closing in and as Gotenks came up behind him, one of the spikes on Omega's back shot out to impale Gotenks's shoulder. He screamed in agony as the spike retracted and Omega quickly spun round to spin-kick Gotenks back to the ground. This time he slammed into the floor, blood spilling across the dirt and a light engulfed the fused warrior, signalling the end of the half hour. When the light faded, Goten and Trunks were left lying there seriously injured and in there normal forms.

Zara gasped as she doubled over in pain, clutching the mark on her shoulder. Gohan looked over at her with concern etched over his face.

"Zara? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh Kami…Trunks. He's still alive but…that hurt." She said between breaths before realising that Gohan was watching her. She quickly straightened up.

"Lets hurry this up. We need to make sure you have it right." She quickly said and Gohan nodded, deciding that it was best to hurry.

Gohan quickly took to the air and powered up, the yellowish dome shield quickly being erected. As soon as it was complete, he started to transform, his hair standing on end and flashing gold until it was properly streaked and his eyes had gained their teal haze. Gohan levelled off and then focused on the next part: moulding the shield.

He focused and slowly it shrank until it was nothing more then an outline round his body that blended in perfectly with his aura. He let his aura go and the shield was then able to fit him perfectly.

Gohan looked down at his hands and then sunk into a stance before he launched himself at an invisible opponent, throwing punches and kicks at unfathomable speeds.

Zara watched from the side, smirking all the while. He had done it. He had mastered the dome shield and with it his super mystic form. Now there was only one thing left to do.

The battle with Omega Shenron was about to begin.

* * *

A/N: there we go, another chapter that shouldn't be too heavy on the fighting, after all we've had a lot of that in the last 7 chapters…

So here we have my little explanation on how Zara's – and most people's – psychic powers work. This is my own theory that makes sense to me.

And we got to see an old face! Gotenks is back! …Even if he didn't make that much of a difference. Originally I wasn't going to have any fusion in this story but then I went out and doodled my own version of adult Gotenks and I had to have him. Least he was better then Gogeta. That episode of GT with him in really peeved me off…

Reviews:

Rambo Samosa: I guess it does mean that. I just went out and made Omega stronger then he was in GT.  
and I agree with you, its not just pure saiyans that can so ssj4. Vegeta probably wasn't even conscious enough to make ssj4 possible at the time. And even if that wasn't the case, I would have put it down to Bebi being a parasite. He was messing around with Vegeta's body by giving him an appearance like Bebi's. That's got to mess around with the transformations as well.

Trugeta: glad you liked it, Omega is definitely in for a surprise now but you'll have to wait until Saturday to read about that

Erica: Thanks! Here's another chapter for ya!

Super saiyan four chichi: well…I thought of a lot of responses to you but have decided against setting Vegeta on ya…I'm not much of a Goku fan myself. V-man's my fave and Goku's got to be about my least favourite really, don't ask why. I don't think he deserves to be any more special then the rest of the saiyans. Besides, he's 'special' in his own way already…

Darksupersaiyan: Don't worry, they will have their tails back, I can assure you of that. There just isn't enough time to do it yet. And about the ssj4 thing: you might want to read Rambo's review. They're answer makes more sense then mine. I don't remember hearing anything about a pure blood only rule in the series anyway…

Masterofmonster: yea, new account and story! Yay! And I think I got most of my doodling out of my system. I already have sketches of all the ssj4s and another…weird-ish one.

Rejhan: glad you liked. And good to hear about the bond too, it's not long until I explain it properly. And now we know Gohan can use a super mystic form, all that's left is to see if he can win…

Well see you all next Saturday! Ja'ne!


	35. chapter 34: final bout

Sorry the chapter is late but ff.n wasn't letting me on yesterday...-grumbles-

**Chapter 34: final bout**

Vegeta and Goku both strained to power up as they charged towards the powerful dragon, Omega Shenron. They both parted so that they could each attack Omega at either side, both preparing either a kick or a punch to use against the dragon. Omega smirked as they approached and then effortlessly leant back to avoid Goku's punch and then leant forward to avoid Vegeta's drop kick. Omega then quickly thrust his elbow into Goku's face before slamming his fist into Vegeta's. As Goku had been fighting the longest and so had less energy, he was sent flying back the furthest but Vegeta quickly righted himself and charged again.

Omega chuckled as the saiyan prince flew towards him and swung round an attack at the last minute hitting…air? Vegeta's after image faded out of sight before the true saiyan prince landed a heavy blow to the back of the dragon's head. Omega lurched forward as Vegeta moved round the dragon's side and spun-kicked Omega's chest, then sent a punch into Omega's gut and jaw before continuing his combo from there.

The dragon quickly recovered, despite Vegeta's blows, and his hand shot out and wrapped round the prince's throat. Vegeta tried to pry the dragon off but to no avail. He was caught.

"Vegeta!" Goku cried as he saw the prince's predicament and quickly brought his hands to his side. The dragon caught this sudden movement and turned to face Goku, using Vegeta as a saiyan shield.

"Don't even think about it. Use your wave and you'll only kill your friend. I'll live to fight another day." Omega told Goku, who had no choice but to stop his little attack. Omega smirked but that quickly stopped as soon as a new fighter decided to make his presence known.

"You better let him go, if you know what's good for you."

Omega frowned and slowly turned to see a golden warrior floating not far above him, with black streaks through his hair and teal hazed eyes. Both of the saiyan men stared at the golden warrior in shock.

"Gohan?" Goku asked and the golden warrior smirked.

"Hey dad, you don't look so good. Wait a moment and you and Vegeta can go get a senzu from Zara." He replied and everyone quickly looked down to see Zara already helping an injured Trunks.

Omega growled and then turned back towards Gohan.

"Your help will make no difference! I have already proved myself stronger then your friends and family and your power is barely readable! You're only prolonging the inevitable!" he snapped but Gohan continued to smirk.

"We'll see." He said before he phased out of sight.

Omega didn't know what hit him. He had been staring at Gohan when all of a sudden an elbow was pressing painfully into his face and his hand was forced to let go of the saiyan prince. He had barely even seen Gohan move!

"You looked shocked. That wasn't unexpected, was it?" Gohan asked as Goku and Vegeta quickly floated down to the ground. Omega growled at the demi-saiyan.

"How did you do that? Your power level didn't even fluctuate! There's no way that you could have possibly of been that fast." He exclaimed. Gohan flexed his hand as he stared down at the yellowish glow around him.

"Lets just say I found a way to mask my power level even when fighting. That gives me two advantages." He replied, confusing the dragon.

"What do you mean two?"

"Simple," Gohan replied, "I'm a lot stronger then you as well."

The dragon growled.

"We'll see about that." Omega muttered before he phased out of sight as he leapt forward.

Gohan smirked and leant back as Omega sent his fist flying towards him. Omega growled and then preceded to throw a blaze of attacks at his halfling opponent, all of which Gohan casually dodged, a smirk never leaving his face. As soon as an opening presented itself, Gohan shot his knee into the dragons gut and then backhanded him away, giving chase as Omega was sent sailing backwards.

Goku and Vegeta stared up at Gohan in bewilderment. Since Gohan hadn't really explained his plan to them, they couldn't understand how Gohan was keeping up with Omega so well.

"The four of us couldn't even touch that dragon. Gotenks didn't even stand a chance." Vegeta muttered.

"I can't even sense him. How's he doing that?" Goku asked.

"It's his super mystic form and he's using a dome shield crafted to his body to contain it. Do you guys want senzu beans or not?" Zara asked from her crouched position on the ground. Goku and Vegeta both looked at her in surprise before Goku was forced to catch the little bean pouch. Trunks was stirring and Zara wanted to check on him the most. Goku decided it was best to distribute the beans whilst Zara saw to the confused demi-saiyan.

A moment later and all of the saiyans were fully healed and waiting for an explanation whilst the young couple were holding on to each other. Zara hadn't like the feeling of nearly having Trunks taken from her so she was going to hold on to him.

"Girl! How did this happen? And more importantly when?" Vegeta snapped and Zara sighed.

"Gohan found a way to combine mystic and super saiyan, the power was just too destructive so I had to teach him how to use the dome shield. When is more confusing since we were in the hyperbolic time chamber." Zara replied. Vegeta, Goten and Trunks all took a moment to absorb this information whilst Goku looked up to his eldest son and the dragon, a proud smile on his face.

Omega had grown agitated by Gohan's speed and strength and had powered up to try and match the demi saiyan. Now their fight was far more even and Omega was beginning to get a few hits of his own in.

Gohan gritted his teeth as pain from Omega's upper cut shot through his jaw, before he sent an axe kick to the dragon. Omega pushed it aside and flung a punch toward Gohan but the demi-saiyan dodged it and landed a swift punch to the dragon's gut. Omega doubled over before he sent out a wave of electricity from his body to try and hit Gohan but Gohan shot his own blast at the dragon, nullifying the electricity. The dragon was knocked back by the blast and, as he righted himself, Gohan's foot crashed into Omega's forehead. The force of the blow sent the dragon falling backwards but Omega quickly turned his momentum into a flip-kick that caught Gohan in the chin. Gohan growled and charged towards the dragon with his fist out stretched but Omega swerved to the left to avoid it. Gohan twisted round with his hands cupped at his side.

"Kamehameha!" he screamed and fired raw energy at the dragon. Omega quickly shot his hands up to fire his own beam to counter the kamehameha wave.

"Fire Flash ha!" the dragon yelled as a beam of swirling fire streaked with electricity erupted out of his hands and collided with the kamehameha. Both warriors battled for dominance with their blasts, only to reach a stalemate. Omega growled before he sent one of Oceanus's air blasts into the struggling beams. The beams both exploded and both warriors shot forward to continue their battle.

Both fighters threw punch after punch, kick after kick at each other, sonic booms being given off with every contact. The small group of warriors on the ground couldn't keep up with the sheer speed and power Gohan and Omega were showing as their fight continued and the group was left staring at the blurred figures in awe.

Gohan dived at the dragon in a jump kick that Omega tossed aside before launching his fist at Gohan, who blocked before implanting his own into the dragon's gut. Omega growled and threw another punch at Gohan who grabbed it and sent his own punch at the dragon, who caught that. Both warriors struggled to break free of the others grip, both refusing to let go of the other. Omega growled, louder this time and powered up, his skin becoming red hot. Gohan could almost feel the heat through the shield but still he held on until Omega's knee swung forward and connected with Gohan's gut. Omega then elbowed Gohan and sent him soaring towards the ground.

Gohan gritted his teeth as he saw the ground coming towards him then looked towards the dragon, pointing his hands towards him.

"Ha!" Gohan cried as he fired a blast at the dragon. Omega slapped it away effortlessly but Gohan phased into sight directly in front of him and released a second blast directly into the dragon's chest. Omega withstood it but was badly charred and burnt when the energy dissipated. Growling, Omega swung at the demi-saiyan, who ducked under the first blow but was knocked aside by the second.

Gohan quickly righted himself but was then forced to move when Omega started firing a flurry of homing blasts, all of which were locked on to Gohan. Gohan was forced to swerve right and left, trying to shake them off but the blasts followed his every move perfectly. Gohan growled and attempted to swerve left but Omega anticipated the movement and sent a blast to hit the demi-saiyan. The blast travelled right through him and Omega growled.

"Bloody after images…" he muttered and quickly looked round for any sign of the halfling, the blasts hovering in place.

"Ahhh!" came the battle cry and Omega looked round just in time for a foot to collide with his face. Gohan smirked before seeing the blasts zooming towards him. Omega then grabbed Gohan's ankle and flung him towards the blasts, hitting them dead on but once again the blasts only hit an after image before several new blasts came flying out of seemingly no where and collided with Omega's, instantly blowing them away. Omega growled before spotting Gohan standing in the centre of the crater that was once west city.

"Nice trick, Gohan Son, using after images to trick me but it won't save you! I've been holding back. I didn't want to go full power but it appears that you've left me no choice. Watch out, Son Gohan, your end is me." Omega announced before crouching slightly and powering up. The very earth itself seemed to quake as Omega increased his power and soon his aura turned into a tornado of fire around him with all of the other dragons signatures and powers rushing through it. Soon it was impossible to see Omega through the fire vortex and it was hard for the other present z warriors to not shake at the immense power Omega was giving off. Gohan was the only one watching Omega calmly as the dragon became visible once more and the fire died down.

"Well?" Omega asked as soon as he levelled off completely.

"It was a bit flashy." Gohan replied calmly. Gohan's calmness unnerved the dragon slightly. He still hadn't been able to get a lock onto Gohan's ki signature and had no idea as to how powerful Gohan was.

"Gohan sure does seem calm." Goten commented from the ground. The others nodded.

"You don't think he's really strong enough to win, do you?" Trunks asked, watching Gohan carefully.

"Who knows? As long as he's in the shield he's impossible to sense." Goku replied.

"He's not strong enough." Zara interjected, her eyes wide as she stared up at the two warriors. Everyone turned to stare at her and Trunks tightened his hold on her slightly.

"What do you mean 'not strong enough'? Is he bluffing up there?" Vegeta asked and Zara shook her head.

"When he was learning the shield I got a chance to sense all of his power in this form. Omega is over shadowing that now. And Gohan has no idea just yet. The shield works both ways. Gohan can't sense Omega just like Omega can't sense him. It's one of the shield's main flaws." She explained slowly. The others quickly turned to look up at Gohan's glowing golden form.

"No…Gohan." Goku muttered.

Omega continued his little stare down with Gohan for a little longer before lunging forward at an unfathomable speed. Gohan barely detected the movement and so was unable to come up with a defence before Omega's fist sent him flying backwards. Omega chased after the demi-saiyan, shooting up into the air just to dive down from above and slam his fist into Gohan's gut before quickly floating round to knee the saiyan in the back and then slam him towards the ground. Gohan raised his power up as much as he could to pull up, his shield expanding outwards to make room for his aura. He just grazed the ground as he managed to straighten his flight path and then shot up into the air towards Omega. Gohan's aura disappeared and the shield retracted just as Gohan swung his fist at the dragon, just to have it meet air. Gohan growled and then shot more attacks at lightning fast speeds at the dragon, all of which missed, as Omega seemed to barely move. Gohan growled in frustration and let lose a massive blast, which the dragon swatted aside before impaling Gohan with his knee. Gohan cried out in pain and was once again sent crashing into the ground, this time forming an impact crater as he landed.

Omega laughed as he stared down at Gohan.

"By the way you were acting, I thought you would still pose a threat but your new transformation isn't enough. Sorry." he told Gohan and continued to laugh. Gohan climbed to his feet and growled.

"We'll see about that." He muttered before launching himself into the air and towards the evil dragon. Gohan fired off as many attacks as he could muster at the dragon, all of which Omega either dodged or deflected effortlessly before hitting his saiyan opponent back into the ground. Gohan then materialised behind Omega and tried swinging his laced fists at him but the blow only hindered Omega for a moment before the dragon lashed out at Gohan with a flurry of attacks, everyone seemingly impossible to defend against. Omega tossed a series of blows into Gohan's gut before thrusting his open palm in to his chest and kicking him aside before throwing an immense number of blasts at the saiyan, all of which hit. The shield protected Gohan from most of the damage but he still felt some before they stopped.

Gohan looked up towards Omega whose hand was stretched out above him with an apocalyptic blast hovering above it. Omega sneered at Gohan.

"Disappear, Son Gohan." Omega called and threw the ball at Gohan.

"No!" Goku yelled as he watched from below.

"GOHAN!" Goten cried out, as did the others apart from Vegeta who watched with gritted teeth.

Gohan heard the cries but they did little to help him as the blast collided with his readied hands and pushed him down to the ground. Gohan struggled to try and push it back but Omega was too fast for him. The dragon made a second, smaller blast in his palm and threw it towards the bigger blast.

"And here you end!" the dragon cried as the blast collided with the larger one, instantly both exploding. Gohan cried out in pain as the explosion caught him, the blast disintegrating the ground away and making the rest fall in on Gohan as he fell. As soon as the smoke and dust faded, there was no sign of the halfling hero.

"Gohan!" Goten called again, rushing forward just to be stopped by his father. Goku was crackling with energy as he stared up at the dragon.

"Wait Goten, that dragon is too much for you to handle. He's too much for any of us to handle, alone or otherwise." Goku told his son, not taking his glare away from Omega. Goten calmed down slightly and clenched his fists tightly.

"Well then what do you purpose, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked, glaring at the dragon as well.

"The most I can think of is have both Gotenks and Gogeta attack but it might not be enough." Goku replied.

"It won't be. Mum didn't have enough time to grow back our tails so we can't transform back into level fours." Trunks pointed out. Goku actually turned his head at this news before looking down. It really didn't look good.

Now then, since Gohan seems to be out of the picture, who's next?" Omega called down, grinning evilly at the small group on the ground. Everyone stared up at the evil dragon, glaring.

"Looks like we have no choice. Vegeta, we'll have to attack and the kids will have to get up to plant and try and get stronger." Goku stated slowly.

"No way! You guys would get killed! I'm not leaving!" Goten replied stubbornly.

"No, Goten! You've lost your super four forms. What good will you staying do?" Goku asked.

"What's the point in you two staying and getting killed?" Trunks asked as Goten lowered his head. Goku frowned and Zara looked up at Trunks.

"You want to stay too?" she asked. Trunks turned to face her.

"I'm sorry Zar but I can't leave. You have to. I'm not going to let you stay and get hurt." He explained.

"No way! If you stay, I stay. Besides, as long as you can't go super four I'm stronger." She pointed out and Trunks frowned but didn't have enough time to retaliate. Omega had landed and was walking towards them.

"You guys really seemed panicked, don't you? Well don't worry; I'll make it nice and quick. Then it's good bye to this miserable planet!" Omega announced. Everyone glared at him and Goku quickly sunk into a stance, everyone else taking his lead. Omega laughed and raised his palm, ki quickly gathering before it to form a blast strong enough to wipe them all out.

"Its about to end for all of you." Omega announced.

The ground beneath them began to crack and quake, diverting Omega's attention away from the group of Z warriors. Golden light began to shine through before the ground broke away and everyone was forced to take to the sky.

"What's going on?" Goten asked before an animalistic scream met their ears. Then a sight met their eyes that made them all smile.

"Gohan!" Goku called and sure enough there was Gohan in the middle of a massive golden dome shield, powering up as he continued to scream. Ki-bolts were running down his body more frequently as more ran along the surface of the done shield. His hair was standing straighter in razor sharp points and there was now less black in his hair. His muscle mass increased and finally Gohan stopped screaming, the shield shrinking back to his body as his aura disappeared and he completed his transformation to super mystic two.

Gohan's completely teal eyes frowned at Omega.

"You didn't think I was finished, did you?" he asked. Omega growled at him.

"You should have been. You're lucky that you could mask your ki signature so well, other wise you really would have been dead." Omega shot, turning to completely face Gohan, who smirked.

"You should be in a moment. By my calculations, I should be well a head of you now." He replied. The others all watched Gohan in awe before Goten smirked.

"Hey Gohan, where do you get off scaring us like that?" he called. Gohan smiled at his brother.

"Sorry about that, I thought I could beat him as a normal super mystic. Let me make it up to you by beating him now I'm a super mystic two." He replied. Omega growled.

"You'll just disappoint him because there is no way I'm going to let that happen!" he cried before he shot forward. He threw a punch at Gohan but only hit air as Gohan ducked under it. Omega growled and twisted round to try and kick Gohan in the face but Gohan grabbed the kick and flung Omega behind him. The dragon growled and charged at the halfling again, throwing a barrage of attacks that all met air.

"Would you just hold still?" Omega cried as he flung a fist at Gohan's face. The saiyan smirked and grabbed the fist, holding it still.

"That ok?" he asked, tightening his hold and making the dragon cry out in pain. Gohan watched the dragon carefully before he pulled Omega forward and thrust his knee deep into the dragon's gut. Omega gasped before he was sent spiralling towards the ground by a blow to the back.

Omega climbed shakily to his feet, flinching as a fresh wave of pain travelled down his spine. He then looked up at Gohan's figure, floating high up in the air.

_How did this happen? I'm supposed to be invincible! Omega Shenron the ultimate! How can he beat me like this?_ Omega wondered, glaring. He then sensed something not far from his position. It was the other members of the Z gang that had returned to earth.

_That might be all I need…_he thought before shooting up into the air. Gohan frowned down at the dragon and charged down to meet him, preparing an attack but what he kicked turned out to be no more then an after image.

"Huh?" Gohan muttered and quickly looked round for any sign of the dragon.

"Over here!" Omega's voice called and everyone turned to see him only a few meters away from Goku and the others. Arm out stretched, Omega smirked as he gathered energy for a blast.

"Don't move or I'll start killing all of your friends." Omega called, hoping to distract Gohan long enough to come up with a better plan of attack. Gohan hesitated and the others all shared a glance.

"_Get ready_." A telepathic message quickly told Gohan and he smirked, confusing Omega in the process. Goku then grabbed Goten and Vegeta and instant translocated away whilst Zara teleported herself and Trunks to the same place as Goku. Omega blinked at their sudden disappearance as Gohan materialised in front of him, glaring deeply.

"So you're so cowardly that you had to threaten my friends and family, huh? Well don't worry, I'll 'make it quick'." Gohan replied and then shot his fist out too fast for Omega to track, making the dragon fly backwards. Gohan then materialised in front of above the dragon and shot his fist down to connect with it's gut, making it pierce the skin. Omega howled in pain and Gohan kicked him aside before raising his hands to his head with one over the other and both palms facing the dragon.

"Masenko ha!" he cried and shot the powerful blast at the dragon. Omega gasped and raised his arms to protect himself but the blast over whelmed him as it exploded, disintegrating the dragon completely and only leaving the seven Dragonballs behind, all of which quickly returned to their normal orange colour.

Gohan floated back down to the ground and stared at the glowing Dragonballs. A smile broke onto his face before he powered down and lowered the shield as soon as his hair and eyes were back to their normal colouring. He then glanced at the others that were flying towards him. His smile turned into a classic son grin.

He had done it. Omega Shenron had been beaten. It was over.

The others all halted in their flight as the sky turned black and lighting erupted from the Dragonballs, confusing everyone.

At least Gohan had thought it was over…

* * *

A/n: there we go, saga finished, or is it? Meh, most of you know how GT went from here.

Not much to say here except I was running out of ideas for the fight. So many fighting chapters…-collapses-

Reviews:

Rejhan: glad you liked! And I thought Gotenks would be a little better then Gogeta at this point. Plus it'll make more sense for the boys to fuse rather then Vegeta and Goku for obvious reasons.

Masterofmonster: -looks at my adult Gotenks sketch- um…guess you could say that. –Grins and huggles Gotenks- guess Zara did get kind of annoyed. She wasn't supposed to get that annoyed though. –Sighs- At least Gohan isn't too tactless. He managed to catch on, at least! Yay for Gohan!

Trugeta: Yay! I had a good idea for once! Heh, glad you liked. It's not very often that it's Goku and Vegeta buying the time together, let alone for Gohan. And it looks like super mystic wasn't enough, but level 2 was! Yay!

I'll be back next Saturday with the next chapter. I've got an explanation, a surprise for Goten and a review idea to coming up. See you guys next week!


	36. chapter 35: turning point

**Chapter 35: Turning point **

The sky was growing darker by the second as the other Z warriors flew over to meet Gohan, and lightning clashed against the sky. A single bolt crashed down, striking the seven glowing dragon balls. The balls crackled with energy as a golden beam of light erupted from the balls and quickly took the form of the almighty dragon Shenron.

Goten came to a halt, closely followed by his father and the others, and stared up at the dragon in confusion.

"Why is Shenron out? We didn't call him." He asked. Gohan continued to stare up at the dragon as he answered his little brother.

"Yes we did. We called him before but instead that smoke dragon came out. Now that we've defeated all of the evil dragons, Shenron can come out again and grant us our wish."

The others all nodded slowly at Gohan's explanation but were interrupted by Shenron.

"No, I am not here to grant a wish, although you did summon me. I am here because you have misused the dragonballs. There is always a safety 'trigger' of sorts programmed into the dragonballs so that if they are ever misused to the extent that the negative energy is freed as it was here, then the dragon shall never again grant a wish. Because of this I must now leave with a guardian of my choice to prevent the dragonballs from being misused again." The mighty dragon explained in his deep voice.

"Wait! What do you mean 'never again grant a wish'? We need a wish to fix all of the damage done here! Hundreds of people have been killed by both the dragons and from the whole Super 17 episode! I may have caused that so please, allow me to fix it!" Goku cried out, almost pleading with the dragon.

"Please Shenron? A very close friend of mine had her father killed. And then the entire western capital is gone! Allow us to fix this, please? You owe us that much." Goten added. A frown swept across Shenron's scaled face.

"I do not owe you as it was you people who have a tendency to over use the dragonballs in the first place!" he snapped and Goten flinched slightly but stood his ground, as did Goku.

"However, you have saved the earth time and time again and you were the ones to put things right. The earth is forever in your debt, even if it doesn't know it. One last wish won't damage the balls too much." Shenron then added as his eyes glowed a brighter red before fading again.

"It is done."

The small group gathered by the dragon then turned to see the city-sized crater glowing as it filled in. The glow brightened and the next thing they all knew, West city stood in its place in all of its former glory. Goku grinned his famous grin and quickly checked the planet for a very familiar energy signature. He soon found it and his grin widened. Krillen was alive once more.

"Now then Goku," Shenron called down to the saiyan in question, interrupting his thoughts, "I have something to ask you. I need a guardian to help me protect the dragonballs. I would like that guardian to be you. You have defended this planet all through your life and now that your son is more then powerful enough to take over, I would like you to come with me. It is the perfect chance to increase your own strengthen."

Goku's eyes widened and his mouth broadened into a grin as he stared up at the dragon.

"Really? You want me? I don't know what to say!" Goku stared before noticing the others. Zara, Trunks and Vegeta were all looking away slightly awkwardly as Gohan and Goten stared sadly at the floor, Goten clenching his fists at his side. Goku watched them and then sighed. He knew what he had to do.

"I'm sorry Shenron," Goku began, turning to face Shenron again," But my place is still here." Everyone else turned to stare at Goku in surprise as the saiyan continued.

"All of my life I have taken my family for granted or was separated from them despite the fact that I wanted to be with them. It's about time that I put them first and watched them grow. Besides, Gohan may have surpassed me but that doesn't mean that I can't still help." Goku finished. Shenron continued to look at him unblinkingly before turning his head to look at all of the others.

"And I assume that it is the same for the rest of you?" the dragon asked and they all slowly nodded, Vegeta only scoffing. Shenron's eyes glowed as he considered this before he hunched over slightly and blew out a white smoke dragon. The others all blinked as it took a more solid form. The new dragon had green scales and wings and had a build and height much like Goku's. It looked almost exactly like the brothers Nuova and Eis Shenron only with the original Shenron's colouring. This was the new guardian dragon grafted entirely from good ki that was going to protect the dragonballs and go with Shenron.

"I thank you Z warriors for returning the dragonballs to normal. Now I must leave. Fare thee well!" Shenron then called as he rose into the air with the dragonballs and the new guardian dragon. The guardian dragon absorbed the seven dragonballs and then both he and Shenron flew high into the sky and disappeared into the distance. The others all watched them leave silently.

"Good bye Shenron, I hope we'll see you again someday." Goku muttered before turning to the others.

"Maybe we should all go get the others and…um…what?" Goku asked, realising that now all eyes were on him. Goten walked hesitantly towards his father.

"Did you mean what you said to Shenron?" he asked, his face trying hard not to show any emotion. Goku stared blankly at his son.

"Well yea, of course I did. I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it. It really is about time that I started considering you guys and I really do want to watch you live the rest of your lives and maybe even watch you make a family of your own." Goku explained. Goten cracked a grin at this but he didn't say anything. Goku grinned at his son and ruffled his hair playfully, earning a laugh from Goten.

The others all watched them, smiling. Gohan walked over to his father to join in the little family moment and Trunks stretched out, wrapping his arms around Zara from behind.

"Looks like things can finally get back to normal now. And it looks like Goten is happy too." He commented as Zara grinned and leant back into his chest. Vegeta smirked at his son as Goku and Gohan exchanged a knowing glance before they both turned to the couple.

"I bet you're pretty happy about now yourself." Gohan commented as Goku continued to grin.

"When's the wedding?" the older Son man asked and the couple blushed deeply.

"We don't really want to get a head of ourselves right now, Goku." Trunks replied before both he and Zara spotted the knowing looks being swapped between the three oldest saiyans.

"What's going on?" Zara asked suspiciously, looking from one saiyan to the other. Goku and Gohan both looked over at Vegeta, who then explained.

"The saiyan ritual for marriage isn't exactly like the human one. We have blessings from a man of power, usually royalty or a general, and then we have the most important part: an empathic ki-bond between the couple that is normally created at a moment of intimacy. And, judging by those marks on your necks, you've already under gone the bound."

Trunks, Zara and Goten all stared at Vegeta in shock. Goten glanced at his friends' necks before turning to Vegeta.

"What do you mean a moment of intimacy? Do you mean we could all be married and not know it?" he asked, panicking. Vegeta shock his head.

"No, the instinct to bond only comes when the right emotion is there. You're fine but my son and his mate over there seem to have a few feelings they didn't even know they had." He explained. Goten calmed down slightly but Trunks and Zara had only just begun to panic. They both stepped away from each other as Zara approached Vegeta.

"What do you mean by that? We're married all ready? We're not ready for that!" She exclaimed.

"Well clearly you are, onna, or this wouldn't have happened." Vegeta replied calmly.

"What's the problem? Marriage isn't so bad. Besides, it's not exactly complete. You haven't done the blessing part." Goku pointed out.

"What's the problem? Goku, what do you think? You guys haven't exactly got the best track record in your marriages! You keep dying and going away, leaving Chichi alone and my parents are constantly arguing! My view on marriage right now isn't exactly perfect." Trunks exclaimed.

"Mine isn't exactly sunshine and buttercups either. My parents were seriously messed up. They were only really together because of a pheromone accident that gave them me." Zara pointed out. Goku looked at Vegeta and Gohan for some help and Gohan stepped forward.

"It really isn't that bad all the time. Bulma and Vegeta have a strong relationship, they just love their verbal spars. And then Mum and dad were always fine together when dad was around. Besides, you don't have to use them as marital role models. My marriage to Videl is fine. You can just look at us instead." He told the young couple who calmed down slightly. Trunks walked over to Zara and held her hand.

"Gohan does have a point. And so does Goku. We're just bonded right now. We can get married later. How about we just live together for a while to get used to the idea?" he suggested and Zara nodded.

Gohan rubbed his hands together and grinned at the others.

"Great, now that that's decided, how about we go get the others? I've got a baby to prepare for after all." Gohan announced and then took off towards Capsule Corp and the space ship before the others got a chance to ask what he meant.

Goku ducked under the incoming punch as Pan continued to press forward, determined to hit her grandfather. It was the day after Gohan had defeated Omega Shenron and the dragonballs had disappeared and now Goku was fulfilling his promise. He was spending time with his family.

Goku continued to weave through Pan's attacks until she growled in frustration and burst into the legendary level of super saiyan. She then proceeded to use a lightning fast axe kick on Goku but the crafty saiyan disappeared mere microseconds before the attack would of hit. Pan growled and glared as she turned to face her grandfather who had materialised behind her.

"Hey! That's cheating, Grandpa! I thought we agreed no instant translocation." She pouted and Goku laughed before turning to his youngest son who was leaning against the wall of the house.

"I wasn't cheating, was I Goten?" Goku asked.

"Well kind of but Pan cheated too. There are no super saiyan transformations this close to the house. It's mum's golden rule ever since dad and Gohan broke her table and good china." He pointed out. Pan pouted and Goku laughed as he stretched.

"He makes a good point. So how about a break? I'm getting hungry!" Goku announced. Pan rolled her eyes as she powered back down to normal.

"You're always hungry, grandpa." She pointed out but let Goku go anyway, opting to finish her spar with Goten as her opponent.

Goku smiled at Pan and Goten before making his way into the house through the screen doors. He walked into the kitchen and froze when he spotted Chichi watching her son and granddaughter through the kitchen window. Goku blinked at her and started to rub his neck nervously.

"Um…sorry if we've been disturbing you in here." Goku said slowly. Chichi jumped at the sound of his voice and quickly turned round to face her husband, slightly embarrassed at having been caught.

"Oh, you weren't. I was just watching. I haven't seen Goten and Pan this happy in a while." She confessed and made her way to the cupboards. Goku watched her as she quickly set to work getting out pots and pans and he slowly frowned in concern.

"Chichi, is there something wrong?" he asked slowly. Chichi stopped her little search and slowly turned to glance at Goku.

"I…Goten…told me about Shenron." She said slowly. Goku blinked and lent against one of the counters.

"He did?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yea, he was really excited about it. He's happy that he can finally have his dad back." She told him and Goku smiled lightly. But he was still concerned.

"That's good and all but I don't understand what you're saying."

"Did you really give up an offer to train?" she asked. Goku hesitated before nodding a yes. Chichi watched him before embracing him in a hug and burying her face into his gi top. Goku blinked and awkwardly patted her on the back, not really understanding what was going on.

"I…you know I've been wanting to talk to you for a while. I know I haven't been around very often and I wanted to apologise…" he started before he realised that she was crying. Goku blinked and gently tilted Chichi's head up to look at her face.

"Chi, what's wrong?" he asked, completely confused.

"Gohan and I have both always known that you're always thinking of everyone. You're always looking out for our best interests. That's why you decided to stay dead after the Cell games and I like to think that's why you left with Uub. We've always known, Goku, you're pure and good and always putting the earth first." She explained, shaking as she continued to let her tears flow.

"But sometimes I wish that you wouldn't go and that you'd stop leaving me. But that's selfish. I shouldn't stop you from protecting us all. And sometimes I wonder why you keep coming back to a selfish old woman like me." She finished, letting out another sob. Goku stared at her and then pulled her into another hug.

"You're not selfish, you're incredible. I'm surprised anyone could put up with me and what I put you through. You're incredible, Chichi, not selfish. That's why I'm with you." He told her. Chichi held on to him tightly and Goku ran a hand through her hair affectionately.

"From everything that's happened, I should be the one apologising to you." Goku said softly and Chichi shook her head.

"No, you being here makes up for everything. Besides, we knew." Chichi said quietly and held on to her husband. Goku nodded and smiled, allowing the hug to continue as everything else was forgotten.

* * *

A/n: the end of this chapter was an idea submitted by Chris. Thanks for that!

I also have the bond explanation here, even if it is small. And it looks like Goten's view of his father has done a u-turn. That's good news for Goku!

Reviews:

Chris: thanks; I'm not sure about the real GT's fight scenes though. The way I remember it, Goku was on the run a lot…as for your question, I have a few more chapters planned but then that's it. There's not going to be another bad guy but I might do a one saga long sequel that will probably be the equivalent to GT's TV special, only a different plot and no Goku JR. but I may be persuaded to go back and add in the black star hunt. Thanks again for your Chichi suggestion.

Trugeta: I forgot about that. So no, that wasn't going to happen. There really would have been no point…

Darksupersaiyan: thanks! Will do.

Son Oliver: they will get their tails back, ok, Next chapter in fact. I'll have to just be plain stupid not to give them their tails back. That and Vegeta would kill me :D.  
as for the universal spirit bomb, that bugged the hell out of me for obvious reasons if you compare the spirit bomb in the Buu saga with the universal spirit bomb. What was GT thinking? Anyway, I'll save you the rant…for once.

Rejhan: heh, glad you liked. And there's not much left to do now. Its almost a shame, I was having fun with this but I've done the whole 'Goku passes the world saviour thing on' thing so I haven't got much more to do, except maybe humouring the reviewers. Oh well…

Masterofmonster: please tell me you remember the end of GT. I'm sure you do because I remember talking to you about it after it first aired in the UK. And I'm pretty sure I remember you saying you'd rather Goku stayed so…here you go. You gave me this idea before I even decided to write this thing.  
Oh yea, and -takes Gotenks back- I thought you had Eli…-frowns-.

Well that's the end of this chapter. Ja'ne!


	37. chapter 36: on track

**Chapter 36: on track**

The living room was a mess in a certain home of a Son family. DVDs and videos were sprawled across the floor and coffee table along with a host of coffee mugs. A stressed Gohan was collecting the piles of movies in an attempt to tidy up while his wife watched from the sofa.

It was six months after the fight with Omega Shenron and Bulma was certain that Videl's baby was due any day now. That was enough to get one demi-saiyan into a panic as he tried to make sure everything was perfect and that Videl didn't over exert herself.

"Gohan, I'm not a cripple. Just let me help out a little bit. You've done enough all ready." Videl pointed out from her place on the sofa as she adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. Gohan smiled weakly at his wife as he tried to fit everything back into a cabinet.

"You should be resting up, you had that dizzy spell this morning." He pointed out and Videl waved it off with a pout.

"Well that's your baby's fault." She muttered. Gohan sighed and moved over to the sofa. He took her hands and looked into her eyes.

"I'm looking out for you both. You know what Bulma said back when we told her you were pregnant." He told her, that specific memory replaying through his head for the umpteenth time.

_Bulma smiled as she looked over the happy couple. She ruffled through a few of her old notes as the couple waited for her to start talking. _

_"Well I'm sure you remember how short Saiyan pregnancies are. From what I've seen, they should normally last about six months, although this could be longer with all of the human DNA." She explained. Gohan nodded._

_"Yea, I remember Pan taking a month longer then you thought she would." He pointed out._

_"Yes, but she was the first child you had and they do have a tendency of taking the longest." Bulma agreed. Videl nodded as well before interrupting._

_"Is there anything you really need to tell us about this?" she asked and Bulma placed her notes back onto her desk._

_"Well you have already gone through it once so most of it you should remember like the cravings and mood-swings. You know that you won't get that big because of warrior species traits. A big bump has been proven to get in the way. All you really need to be reminded of is the shared ki. The mother and baby share their ki as long as the baby is in the womb so using it in excess could kill your baby. That's why saiyan pregnancies were rare on Vegetasei."_

Gohan had taken Bulma's warnings to heart. He wasn't going to let Videl use too much of her ki, even if the baby probably had enough of its own at this point. If she did then the baby would be at risk so that meant no flying or anything similar for Videl.

"Look, Gohan, You've done enough. I know the guys are getting together to train today, why don't you join them? Pan will be home shortly so she'll be able to help me." Videl interrupted his train of thought. Gohan blinked as he stared at his wife.

"You sure? I can stay if you want-" he started but Videl shook her head.

"You've been cooped up in this house for too long. You should go train with your dad and Vegeta." She told him before getting a crafty smirk.

"You don't want me to get out the frying pan, do you?" she asked and Gohan got up.

"No thanks, I've been hit enough with that thing lately. But are you sure?" he asked and Videl made a playful swipe at him, smirking. Gohan laughed before he decided to leave. He didn't want to push his luck. After all, Videl's mood-swings were something not to be trifled with…

It was quite in the little café that Marron worked in. She was on her lunch break and was in the same old booth with her regular muffin and Goten sitting opposite her jabbering on about either Videl's pregnancy, Goku's last training session with him, or probably about how badly he wanted to change career. Usually she'd be listening to his every word but today her head was too full of thoughts as she continued to pick apart her muffin.

"…I just wish Pan would quit her little tail obsession. She may want hers back but that doesn't mean that she can try and pull mine off." Goten finished as he fiddled with a certain brown and furry something that was in his lap. Bulma had managed to re-grow all of the super four's tails within one full week after the Omega battle. The only problem was that Goten found it difficult to keep his wrapped round his waist.

Goten looked up from his tail and Coffee to see Marron staring thoughtfully at her muffin that had reverted into a large pile of crumbs. Goten frowned lightly and looked up at the girl's face.

"I thought I was supposed to be the messy eater, what's up?" he asked and Marron blinked as she was snapped out of her daydream.

"It's nothing." She said bluntly and Goten raised his brow. Marron sweat dropped slightly as she watched him.

"Erm…that is what you asked, right?" she asked.

"Well the answer could work, if it wasn't wrong. So what is wrong with you?" he replied, leaning in slightly. Marron fidgeted with her hands as she tried to find the right words.

"Its just…we do this every day! You come in and I spend my lunch break with you and we have a good time just talking about what ever randomly pops up and that's great and all but…" she hesitated and took in a long breath.

"…I want to know when you're going to ask me on a real date."

Goten paled as she finished and coughed nervously.

"Err…a real date?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yes Goten, a real date. I know you like me; you have proven that by how much you were worrying when my dad got killed."

"Well...yea…but-" Goten started but Marron cut him off.

"What but? Are you afraid of turning out like Goku or something? Are you afraid that you'll hurt someone you actually like? Well that's not going to happen." She exclaimed. Goten frowned lightly at this.

"You can't guarantee that. Neither of us can! The guys in my family are just not very reliable when it comes to this stuff." He told her.

"Really? Because Gohan seems pretty reliable to me." she shot back and Goten lowered his head.

Silence passed between the two for a moment before Goten sighed.

"Fine. I'll take you on a proper date. Where ever you want to go I'll take you." He said slowly. Marron smiled at him.

"Now was that so hard?" she asked. Goten cracked a smile at her. Marron watched him and stood up as her break had ended.

"Look, I know you probably don't think going from good friends to a couple works all that well but it'll be ok. I'm going to make sure you have a good time. Besides, everything seems to be working fine for Trunks and Zara…"

"Come on Zar! Its not that bad!" Trunks called through the bedroom door. He was leaning against the wall next to it with his tail wrapped around his waist.

"How do you know? You've never even seen it before!" Zara's voice called through it and Trunks smiled to himself.

"Well if you just open the door then I would."

Just like they had agreed, Trunks and Zara had moved in with each other. They were currently living in Trunks's condo in west city. Zara's old cottage was being kept as a holiday home and a training retreat of sorts.

They had both been living happily together for the past six months but now one of the days – or weeks – Zara hated had once again arrived.

"Trunks! I'm in heat! Its one of the only times I find it difficult to keep control what with all the hormones and pheromones and all. It's a bad time and it'll affect you too." Zara yelled through the door as she stayed huddled up on top of the king sized bed. On the other side of the door, Trunks hit his head lightly against the wall he was leaning on before he looked at the door again.

"Can't I judge how bad it is? It's probably not as bad as you think. Besides we're bounded and practically married now! Do you really think it'll matter?" he called. Nothing but silence came from the other side of the door. Trunks thought that she had teleported out for a moment before the door's lock clicked and the door opened a fraction. He blinked and stepped away from the wall.

"Zara?" Trunks asked as he stepped into the room.

As soon as he had crossed the threshold, he felt light headed and slightly dizzy. He quickly came to a halt before noticing a curious smell in the room. It wasn't a bad smell but he couldn't exactly pinpoint it. But that was the last thing on his mind as his eyes fell onto Zara kneeling on the bed and biting her finger lightly. Her eyes had unusual amber haze across them that he assumed was part of the 'heat'.

He gulped and his breathing quickened as their eyes met.

"See, not so bad…" he muttered and swallowed again. His mouth had gone dry.

Zara closed her eyes and sighed before she looked at him again, breathing just as fast as he was. She swallowed hard before speaking.

"Oh, just get over here already!" she told him before Trunks was pulled towards her and the door slammed shut.

The next day was a busy one for Capsule Corp's home base. Bulma had some new inventions to go into testing that the labs were preparing for. Bulma was instructing some of the technicians when her son arrived, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Bulma smiled at him when she saw him coming.

"Why hello there. Shouldn't you be at work?" she asked before noticing the grin.

"And since when do you grin on a work day?"

Trunks rubbed the back of his neck and decided against telling his mother about his good mood.

"I'm here to retrieve some files I left in your office. Oh yea, and to tell you Zara is in heat so can't make it in today." He told her and Bulma frowned.

"Typical. It's the big day and she can't make it. Super strength and a knowledge of nuclear fusion would be a big help right about now." The aged scientist replied with a sigh before turning to lead her son to the office. She halted and blinked in surprise when she spotted a familiar golden-eyed girl standing in the doorframe of the office.

"_I really need to talk to you. Alone!_" the telepathic message came fast before Zara disappeared inside the office. Bulma sighed and quickly marched right into the office, closing the door on a very confused Trunks. A moment later and the files Trunks had needed were tossed out through the crack in the door that closed to quickly for him to see inside. Trunks blinked.

"Err…thanks?" he called and turned to leave.

_What the heck was that about? If I weren't late then I'd probably make her talk…_Trunks thought before hurrying to the lab's exit.

Bulma watched though the blinds that covered the window of the door. She sighed when she watched Trunks leave and turned to face the girl sitting on her desk.

"Well he's gone. So what's the problem you'd rather talk to me about? And risk coming to a lab full of men whilst you're in heat too." Bulma asked and Zara looked up at Bulma nervously. Bulma stared at Zara's completely gold eyes.

"You're not in heat, are you?" Bulma asked slowly and Zara shook her head.

"That's the problem. I only started yesterday and it's supposed to last a week. And after that I'm supposed to get my period. Not only have one day and then nothing!" she exclaimed and Bulma quickly tried to calm her down.

"It probably isn't a sign of anything bad. Besides, You haven't exactly been able to pinpoint the exact second all of this starts with you, let alone the week, right?" Bulma pointed out and Zara frowned lightly at the older woman.

"I get that I'm not exactly predictable but this isn't normal. I can't just go one day and then have nothing! That's not how it works." Zara explained and then sighed before she got up and started pacing.

"Look, I can fight the likes of Goku and evil dragons and I can even keep my cool when under heavy fire but I panic at the thought of taking a pregnancy test. I need a little help but I don't want to tell Trunks yet just in case…you know." She explained. Bulma cracked a smile.

"Well that's ok. I'll go find us a test and we'll find out right here and now. And then maybe I'll have a grandkid to brag to Chichi about for a change…" the scientist trailed off as Zara watched, sweat dropping slightly.

Over five minutes later and Bulma had the test on her desk. The two women were waiting for the tab to turn blue anxiously. Bulma's eye twitched as she continued to watch Zara using her telekinesis to make several paper clips to float round in a figure of eight.

"Would you stop that? It's getting distracting…" Bulma muttered and the younger woman glanced at her.

"Would you prefer me pacing like normal people?" Zara asked and Bulma sighed. The paper clip thing was probably better then pacing.

The scientist turned to look at the test again and grinned. The strip had turned blue which could only mean one thing. Zara noticed where Bulma was staring and looked to. A lump caught in her throat.

She was pregnant.

"This is great! I'm going to be a grandma! Oh! There is so much to do! I'll have to make up the nursery again! And then there's naming it and…" Bulma's ranting went on deaf ears as Zara had already left.

Pan opened the door to her house and immediately set her backpack down on the floor.

"Mum! I'm back! Did you send dad out again?" she called to her mother. It was now early evening and she was back from another day of school.

"Pan? Is that- AH!" Videl cried from the living room. Pan noted the tone of pain in her mother's voice and hurried into the room. Videl was crouched over holding her small bump in pain. On the floor was a wet patch on the carpet.

"Its started," Videl started as soon as Pan had made it into the room, "I'm getting contractions and they're getting pretty close together."

Pan bit her lip and hurried to her mother's side, increasing her power level as a signal to any one of the nearby Z fighters.

"Don't worry mum, everything will be ok."

In the house next door, Gohan was practically pulling his father to the door.

"Come on dad, its bad enough Videl wanted to wait because of how long Pan's birth took but you're just slowing us down! And you're the one that knows instant translocation!" Gohan raved as Goku tried to keep up with his son.

"Well if you slowed down a second then I'd use it. Now calm down." Goku replied, putting his index and middle finger to his forehead. Gohan was tempted to yell at his dad for that comment but thought better of it as Goku preformed his little technique. They soon found themselves in Gohan's living room and the demi-saiyan quickly ran over to his wife.

"What took you?" Videl joked as she looked up at her husband. Gohan smiled at her.

"Blame dad, he's surprisingly slow for one of the fastest people in the universe." He joked. Videl cracked a smile before yet another contraction hit. Goku rushed over and instructed everyone to hold on to either him or Videl before he disappeared along with everyone else in the room.

A mere second later and they were in Satan city general hospitals reception. Gohan quickly stood up fully and flagged down someone to help his wife. Goku glanced nervously around the waiting area.

"Hey, do you want me to go get the others? 'Cause I can if you want." He quickly said.

"That's ok, Grandpa. I can call everyone. I should have enough change on me." Pan replied and Goku nodded and continued to look round nervously. Gohan and Pan exchanged a look and both of them smiled. It was a known fact that although Goku could handle most of the cliché and supped up super villains, he was terrified of needles and hated hospitals.

"You can go get mum and Hercule if you want. I bet they'll want to be here as soon as possible." Gohan said, smiling and Goku gladly disappeared again just as Videl was given a wheel chair.

The birth went by much faster then Gohan and Videl had expected. They remembered Pan's taking the better part of a weekend where as this birth went by much faster. It wasn't long before Videl was able to hold her newborn son.

Videl was sat up in her hospital bed with Gohan next to her. All of the others had shown up by then and were standing round the bed. A beaming Hercule and the rest of the son family were at the head of the bed whilst the Briefs and Chestnut families stood at the bottom watching the family with the newborn.

The newborn himself was wrapped up in a blue blanket that brought out his bright blue eyes that he had inherited from his mother. His hair was black and was sticking up in short tuffs in a normal saiyan style.

"Wow, he looks a lot like Gohan." Marron noted as she peered at the baby. Chichi grinned proudly at her new grandchild.

"Yes, he has the Son look about him." She commented.

"Lets just hope he doesn't inherit the brains of the typical son man." 18 muttered quietly enough to make her family and the Briefs chuckle. Goku stared at the others curiously whilst Pan pointed to the tiny tail that was wrapping round Videl's arm.

"What about that? He can't go outside as long as that's there. Not as long as Plant is in view anyway." The teenager pointed out.

"Well we can't cut it off. He might want to fight and if he doesn't have a tail then he won't ever be able to go super saiyan four." Gohan pointed out. Bulma smirked at this.

"Never fear, I have a solution, as always. I knew that he'd no doubt have a tail and that Gohan would want to train his son so I've been working on a device that will prevent the Oozaru transformation. It's kind of like a tail belt that will be worn round the base of the tail and soak up the Brutze waves. It's in my lab ready so I'll give it to you as soon as possible. I'll only need to know his tail width." She explained. The proud parents grinned at the news.

"That's great Bulma! You've done it again!" Gohan exclaimed.

"Yes she has," Chichi agreed, "but can she come up with an equally great name? After all, I'm not going to call my grandson 'him' for the rest of his life."

Gohan and Videl looked down at their baby thoughtfully and Gohan scratched his head nervously.

"Well I'm not very good with names. Videl was the one that came up with Pan." He admitted.

"Yea, after three hours of brainstorming." His wife pointed out.

"Well if you need help on deciding then we can help. Why don't you continue the name tradition of our family? He does look like Gohan after all." Chichi replied.

"I don't know. There aren't that many 'Go' names left." Videl pointed out.

"Well then why don't you try my name tradition? Something tells me that Trunks and Bra won't use it." Bulma suggested, only to be laughed at by her husband.

"Onna, I don't think Son Thong or Undies will really work."

This made the others in the room laugh and Bulma pout slightly.

"Well I don't really think 'Vegetable' is all that great a name either but it's still our sons middle name and I still married you." She muttered heatedly, earning a frown from Vegeta.

"Well as great a suggestions those are, I don't really think they'd work. Maybe we should stick to something simple like 'Fry'." Gohan said. Pan sweat dropped.

"You're kidding, right? That would make us both Fry Pan." She pointed out.

"I dunno…Son Fry has a nice ring to it." Goku commented. Pan stared blankly up at her grandpa.

"Please say you're joking Grandpa!" she exclaimed.

"Why would I be? It's an ok name, right guys?" Goku asked, turning to the others in the room. Videl and Gohan glanced at each other and smiled.

"I'm ok with it. How about we ask him?" Videl asked her husband. Gohan grinned and picked up his baby boy.

"Hey, are you Son Fry? Is that your name?" he asked and the baby giggled and gurgled at his daddy.

"I guess we take that as a good then." Krillen commented from the sides. Pan continued to sweat drop as she watched her family.

"I can't believe it. We're a frying pan…" she muttered before Bra's hand clasped onto her shoulder.

"Well now you know what it feels like to be named after underwear." Bra whispered to her friend before laughing.

By now the women were crowding round the newborn and the men were spacing themselves out. Goten and Trunks stayed near the door as they watched the women.

"Great. It's going to be baby obsessed around here. They're all going to want one." Goten said gloomily. Trunks glanced at his friend before looking back at the women to see that Zara had ended up holding baby Fry. She was smiling down at the baby but Trunks didn't need that to know what she was feeling. He rubbed his bite mark nervously as he watched and continued to listen to Goten talk about his new nephew.

It didn't take long for it to get late and everyone started to file out. Krillen and his family and Vegeta and his except for Trunks all left. Trunks walked out of the small private room to find Zara sitting out side on a chair.

"Hey, there you are. I was thinking that it was about time we headed out." he said as he approached. Zara nodded.

"Ok, can we wait a minute though?" she asked and he nodded before sitting beside her.

"How are you holding up?" he asked. The answer he got wasn't one he had expected.

"I'm pregnant."

Trunks took a double take but he couldn't process those words. At least not right away.

"Buh wha?" was all he got out at first.

"Rational sentences, please." Zara said, staring almost blankly at him. She wasn't exactly pleased with his reaction.

"How? Why? How is that possible?" he asked and Zara folded her arms across her chest.

"I was in heat, Trunks. I tried to warn you. It is the only time I can get pregnant after all." She pointed out, leaning back in her chair.

"I think you failed to mention that part. Not that that's an excuse I guess. But we're not ready! We haven't even properly planned the whole wedding thing yet. First we're moving too slow and now we're at light speed! How did that happen?" he exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at just about anywhere but her.

"I know, but we said the same about the wedding thing after we got bounded. Maybe it's a sign. Like what Gohan said, we wouldn't have bounded unless we were ready so maybe it could be the same for this too." Zara said slowly. Trunks turned to look at her.

"You're starting to sound too calm. Aren't you worried?" he asked and Zara cracked a weak smile.

"You kidding? I'm terrified! I've just had longer to think it over. And I kind of want to know that we will do this together…" she said slowly and Trunks slid off his chair so that he could kneel on one knee in front of her.

"Of course we will. And we'll do the wedding thing as well. I haven't got a ring yet but I'd like to do the proposing thing anyway. I love you Zar and I'll do this with you no matter how incredibly scary it is." He told her. Zara stared at him before she leapt forward and embraced him in a tight hug.

"Thanks." She muttered before looking up and kissing him deeply.

Goku stood in the doorway of Videl's room with a smile on his face. He had over heard the young couples little conversation.

"Goku, what are you doing over here?" Chichi's voice asked as her arms wrapped round her husband from behind. Goku's smile broadened and he glanced round at her.

"Just getting a sense of what things will be like around here." He told her. Chichi blinked before smiling.

"And?"

"It looks pretty good so far." He replied and went back to watching the young couple in the hallway…

* * *

A/N: well it looks like next chapter is the epilogue. I had been planning on two chapters before this one that would have included a suggestion but I've decided against it, as it only would have prolonged the ending. That and possible explained a small decision I made with Bra but there should be enough of Trunks's rants on his family to cover that. You'll see what I mean next chapter. 

Also next chapter I'm introducing not one but three new characters. Oh joy, it's going to be fun 13 years on. :)

Reviews:

Rejhan: Glad you liked. Chichi doesn't get enough credit normally for being super mum so I'm glad I got to do something sweet with her. As for the ending, I put up a hint above. There's going to be 4 teenagers running around…

Darksupersaiyan: will do, thanks for the review!

Super saiyan four chichi: really? You really are a Goku fanatic. I don't get that annoyed when everyone surpasses Vegeta and I'm v-man obsessed. Hats off to you.

Trugeta: heh, glad you liked. After everything I put Goten through, it would have just been spiteful to have Goku go off with Shenron. And I was worried that the bond explanation was too short. Glad it wasn't.

Masterofmonster: heh, glad you like! Goku stayed and now he gets to see his grand kids grow up. And lookie! Zara is pregnant! You know what that means! -Pokes Eli-

Well that's it from me. See you next Saturday!


	38. epilogue

Claimer: I do in fact own Goro, Chico, Eli and Fry! And I have the designs to prove it!

**Epilogue**

13 years later.

Goku stared into the twin faces of his challengers. He kept his eyes firmly locked onto theirs and they did the same to him. The boy glanced at his sister and then back at Goku. Goku tensed as he and the girl continued the stare down. The boy's eyes quickly darted from Goku to his sister and then the target before locking on Goku's again. Goku frowned lightly. He knew that the boy was losing patience.

The boy unexpectedly launched forward across the table, the girl and Goku following mere seconds after the boy but they were too late. The boy grabbed the target.

"Oh yea! I'm way too fast for you guys! Who's the- hey!" the boy cried before his twin sister slammed the hotdog out of his hands and bit into it.

"You're also way too cocky." She told her brother through a full mouth and Goku sat back in his seat laughing.

The twins sitting opposite him were the children of Son Goten. They were Son Goro and Chico, twelve-year-old twins that each bore a strong resemblance to both Goten and Goku.

Goro had the traditional wild black hair of the Son men that was in the same style as his grandfather, although slightly neater. Goro also had grey eyes opposed to the traditional onyx of the Son family. He wore a 'Satan City Devils' football shirt and jeans, which his tail was poking out of.

Chico had both the onyx eyes and wild raven hair of the son family. She had a spiky fringe that was identical to her brother's and even managed to stick up in places to simulate her brother and grandfather's hairstyle. The rest of her hair went down to her shoulders and split off into many spikes. She looked a lot like a female version of her grandfather. She wore a t-shirt with her name over it over a long sleeved shirt and some jeans.

Goku himself hadn't changed at all over the years and still wore his old orange gi. Only Vegeta and himself stayed the same over the years.

The twins were having their own little 'discussion' over the plate of food the three saiyans had acquired when the kitchen door slid open and a 71-year-old Chichi stepped into the frame with an autumn breeze following her. Her hair was in a loose bun and had been dyed grey by time and she wore a red kimono with a golden dragon across it that had once been dubbed the Shenron dress by Pan. Chichi had aged the most over time, even though she was one of the youngest of the original gang.

"Come on you three, everyone's starting to arrive. It's been twelve years since we've all been properly gathered together in one place and we might not get another chance like this in a good while." Chichi told them. Goku quickly got up from his chair with the twins following.

"Well let's not keep everyone waiting then." Goku replied, grinning his famous grin.

The Son's back garden was full of the old gang. Piccolo and Dende were standing with an aged Yamcha and Roshi, talking about old times. Uub was with Tien, Chiaotzu and their students, talking about their training up in the mountains. Pan and Hercule were talking with another little boy that looked a lot like a teenaged, blue-eyed version of Gohan. Goku and the twins headed for those three first.

"Hey Pan, Hey Herc! What's going on?" Goku called.

"Hey, don't forget about me, grandpa!" the boy cried and Goku grinned.

"Hi Fry, how could I forget about you?" Goku asked as he ruffled the 13-year-old's hair. Fry quickly ducked out of his grandfather's reach grinning. Pan and Hercule both laughed before turning to Goku.

"Hey grandpa, we were just talking about this years budokai. I can't believe the media are still covering it!" Pan said to her grandfather, smiling. She was now a 27-year-old woman that had progressed a lot since her teenage years. Her hair had now grown out to under her shoulders and she had a tail wrapped firmly across the top of her jeans.

"Of course they are! That final match was the best yet! You and Uub should go all out like that every year! You wouldn't believe all of the endorsements we've been getting because of that win!" Hercule exclaimed.

Hercule was now in his early seventies himself. He now wore a hat over his head and a suit complete with an expensive looking cane.

He had long since retired his role of world champion and had persuaded Pan to take it. She had been reluctant at first but soon she was eager to keep the title as every year she and Uub would meet in the finals and give each other their all. Those matches were always something Pan looked forward to, especially after both she and Uub broke super saiyan four (even if Uub wasn't a saiyan, he managed to get just as strong thanks to Buu). Pan only hated the time between the budokais when the media tried to bother her but luckily for her, Hercule had become her manager and kept most of them at bay with the tricks he had learned during his time in the spotlight.

"I probably have a small idea about it." Goku said to Hercule. Fry frowned up at his grandparents.

"I still don't get what the big deal is about it. Yours and Vegeta's spars are always more intense then Pan's and Uub's." he muttered and Goku sweat dropped slightly as he answered.

"Yea, well most people don't see those. Besides, Pan and Uub are getting pretty strong. I think even your dad is going to have to watch out soon."

Fry frowned lightly at this before Goro pulled on his shirt.

"Come on, we got to get ready for Eli." He whispered, Chico nodding behind him. Fry grinned and the three teenagers took off. The three adults watched them go. Goku shrugged and turned to Hercule, noticing the retired champ's hat.

"Hey, since when do you wear hats like that?" Goku asked and Hercule blushed whilst Pan laughed.

"Oh yea, I forgot that you two haven't seen each other in a good few years." She said.

"It's not funny, Pan. Most guys my age get it." Hercule muttered.

"Get what?" Goku asked and Pan laughed again before swiping her grandpa's hat off. Goku starred at Hercule before laughing as well whilst Hercule took his hat back.

"Thanks Pan, does everyone have to know that I'm now completely bald?" he asked, slightly harshly. Pan giggled and flashed him the cutest look she could muster.

"Sorry, grandpa Hercule, that's the last time, I swear." She muttered, and Goku laughed.

"It's not that bad, Herc. Bald is beautiful!" Goku told the older man, only to get a playful swipe with Hercule's cane. Goku laughed and backed up.

"I better go see the others, nice seeing you again!" he said as he walked away, only Pan's laughter following.

At the bottom of the garden were Goten, Marron, 18, Krillen, Bra, Bulma and Vegeta. They were all standing round the long buffet table that Marron was setting up.

"Wow, that spread looks great!" Krillen commented as he looked over everything laid out on the tables. Marron grinned at her father as Goten peered over her shoulder.

"I'll say! You really didn't get that chef job for nothing." He added, quickly taking a mini quiche. Marron frowned at him lightly.

"Goten! I gave your dad and the kids a plate of snacks to spare this stuff." She cried as she watched her husband pop the snack into his mouth.

"And you'd have me compete with those three for food? Think I would prefer to risk the pan." Goten joked, reaching for something else, but stopped when Marron glared at him.

Goten had cut his hair shorter in recent years and now his hair spiked up in every direction instead of just to the side. In the past 13 years he had put himself through a police academy and was now one of the top officers in Satan city, a job that fit his family name very nicely.

Marron had grown out her hair and now plaited it as well as keeping it in the normal pigtails. She had eventually left her job in the café to start work in a restaurant as a chef. With the help of Chichi, she had gotten herself several unique recipes that kept her saiyan family happy.

Both Goten and Marron had gone through with the date 13 years ago and had eventually become quite the couple. A year afterwards they had gotten married and not long after that, Marron had given birth to the twins. Goten had named them in honour of the grandparents on both sides: Chico Juichi Son and Goro Cacahue Son.

Krillen and 18 smiled as they watched their daughter and son-in-law and then turned to look at the other end of the table where part of the Briefs family stood. Bulma, her hair now streaked with silver, was talking to her daughter about work despite the fact that they were at a reunion. The two women were workaholics, plain and simple.

Bra, now sporting a brand name business suit with her hair in a tight bun, had long since taken over Capsule Corp from her brother. After watching Pan go super saiyan two, then three, whilst she stayed at the same old basic super saiyan level had left Bra to believe that she was just a little too human. She had her father's strategic mind and the saiyan thirst for power but fighting wasn't her talent. She decided that it was unfair on Trunks to leave him rotting in a job he hated with no time to train or to see his kid whilst she took on the life of the warrior so she swapped with him and found her calling in the process. Trunks was the saiyan, she was the human. She managed to revolutionise Capsule Corp and her saiyan side got a kick out of being the most powerful businesswoman on the planet. It had been the perfect arrangement and she still sometimes trained just in case.

Vegeta frowned at the two women beside him as they continued to talk about Bra's work on Plant. It was bad enough that they had dragged him over to the buffet table before feeding time but did they have to insist on such a boring topic?

"Onna, girl, would you stop for a moment? You haven't seized your work drabble since we got here." He said, interrupting the two women. Bra and Bulma exchanged a crafty look before facing Vegeta.

"Come on daddy, its interesting. We're setting up business towns up there with C.C's top technology. It'll do a lot of good and mum just wants to know how it's going." Bra told her father who huffed in annoyance before looking off to the side. Three more guests had just arrived via teleportation.

Trunks stood next to Zara with his 13-year-old son in front of them. Trunks's hair had grown out slightly over the years and he now sported a goatee that he had a tendency to grow in the autumn and winter months. Zara had grown her hair out as well and was now in a low and loose ponytail that ended at the middle of her back. Their son looked like his father with a few aspects of his grandfather, namely the hair. His face looked almost exactly like his father's with a blue version of his mother's eyes that were equally as expressive only instead of yellows, gold's and reds streaking through them, he had blues, greens and purples.

His hair was the same colour as Zara's but it was in a style very similar to Vegeta's. A few spikes fell across his forehead and the rest of his hair spiked up and curled forward slightly.

The others round the buffet table all turned round to see the small family and smiled over at them, waving them over.

"It's about time you got here, what was the hold up?" Goten asked when they were close enough.

"Eli here was putting up a fuss." Zara explained. Bulma looked down at her grandson with a brow raised.

"And why was that?" she asked, smiling.

"They wouldn't let me bring my Game Guy." The mixed breed replied. Bra laughed as she looked at her nephew.

"That's probably a good idea. He'd be dead to the world if he had that thing with him." She pointed out. Vegeta scoffed.

"Not that it made that much of a difference." He muttered. Eli blinked at his grandfather and then slowly turned his head to the right before a blur of a person sped into him, tackling him to the ground.

"Ow." Eli muttered as he looked blankly up at a grinning Chico.

"What happened to keen senses?" she asked.

"Must have left them in my gi. Could you get off my chest? It's getting hard to breath." He replied and Chico blushed as she scrambled off. Eli jumped back onto his feet and spotted Fry and Goro sporting matching Son grins further off.

"Howdy, 'bout time you got here. We found a great clearing where we can spar whilst the grownups chat." Fry called to the younger boy. Eli raised a brow.

"Did you just say 'howdy'?" he asked before Chico started pushing him forward.

"Come on, you know Fry won't spar with us on his own. We need you 'Tri-boy'" she told him, using one of his nicknames. Eli smiled as he let Chico push him. He knew how well the twins worked together; they did everything together, including fighting. They were always great for a challenge. Eli just had to work out how to work well with Fry…

The adults watched the kids go smiling. Marron shook her head, grinning.

"Saiyans. They always have to fight, even on their day off." She muttered before setting back to work on sorting out the plates of food. Vegeta smirked at the human woman.

"What do you expect? We're a warrior species and there is no way that my grandson and his generation are going to break that." He told her.

"Who'd want to break saiyan tradition? We'd soon run out of embarrassing, prideful stories." 18 interjected, earning a scowl from Vegeta and a curious glance from the other two saiyans. The others laughed and Zara sighed.

"The saiyan tradition isn't going to end any time soon, Vegeta. Sometimes I think Eli is a little too saiyan. I don't see me in there that often, only you and his father." Zara pointed out. Trunks smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

"That's not true, he's a lot like the both of us." He told his wife.

"Yea, I always thought he had your temper." Goten added as he attempted to take some more food. Zara glared at him.

"I do not have a temper." She yelled at him, a little too loud and earning a laugh from everyone else. Krillen wiped his eye as he calmed down and looked up to spot Goku and Gohan heading towards the clearing where the kids had gone. Krillen smiled and quickly excused himself before following.

When Krillen reached the clearing he found the two Son men. On the other side of the clearing sat Chico and Goro looking up at something.

"Where is the other two?" Krillen asked as he stopped next to Goku. Gohan was the one to answer.

"They decided to have their own warm up spar first."

Krillen nodded as he looked at Gohan. The half-breed had also cut his hair shorter with only a few spikes at the front that made him look more like Goku.

Krillen himself had aged and changed over the years as well. He now was nearly completely bald with only a ring of grey hair going round the back of his head so his six dot scars were once again visible. But he did still have the moustache.

"They're really going all out up there." Goku commented as he continued to watch the two boys. Gohan smiled as he returned to watching.

"Well you know how competitive they are." He replied and Krillen was inclined to agree as he looked up at the battling super saiyans.

Eli was on the attack, driving his friend backwards. Fry frowned as he tried his best to avoid the onslaught of attacks being thrown at him. He gritted his teeth together and then fell for Eli's feinted punch, just to be hit by a hard kick. Eli smirked as he continued the combination with a left punch and a blow to the older boys gut. He was about to finish the attack with another blow to the back when Fry powered up, flinging Eli backwards. Fry let out a mighty roar as his hair spiked further up, becoming as sharp as knives, and his body began to have ki-bolts pulsing down it.

Eli was just begging to recover when Fry attacked. The younger saiyan received two painful blows to the jaw before Fry slammed his fist into his chest and planted his knee into his gut before finishing with a blow that sent Eli toppling into the ground. The young saiyan growled as he pulled himself up and glared at the older boy, flaring out his super saiyan aura.

"Hey! That's cheating Fry! You know that you're the only one that can go to level two!" Eli yelled up at his friend. Fry folded his arms across his chest as he stared down at his friend.

"Since when is powering up cheating?" he asked.

"Since you're the only one that can go that far! This is only a warm up, not a battle."

"So? I'm oldest and I say it's acceptable."

"Gah! You're only older then me by seven lousy months!" Eli cried and Fry shrugged it off. The adults decided to intervene at this point.

"I think that's enough you two, why don't you let Chico and Goro join in? I'm sure they want to." Gohan called up.

"Only if Fry powers down," Goro called from the sideline, "it'll be cheating if he stays at that level."

Eli shared a grin with the other two part-saiyans while Fry muttered something under his breath and powered back down to a basic super saiyan. The twins took this as sign to start and quickly jumped to their feet, each going super saiyan at the exact same moment. It was surprising how identical they looked when they did this. The only real difference between them, besides gender, was that Chico had two extra thick spikes at the base of her neck.

Eli and Fry both exchanged a glance before Fry floated down to meet Eli and they both sunk into their own stances. Goro and Chico looked at each other and nodded before they both side stepped so that one was exactly in front of the other. The twins then both shot forward and each split to fight a different saiyan at the last moment, each twin hitting Eli and Fry away from each other. The two 13-year-olds each rebounded and flew back to the twins who had already swapped to their infamous defence. The twins knew each other's moves perfectly and could read each other equally as well. It was because of this that their defence was airtight. They would cover each other to make sure that their opponents would never have an opportunity to attack and could easily send out signals for when to attack the badly organised Eli and Fry. It didn't take long to work out who was winning. Although Fry and Eli were strongest on their own, the twins were a great team.

The adults watched the four teenagers battle it out, smiles on their faces. Krillen watched his grandchildren with pride before he glanced at the two saiyan men beside him.

"This kind of brings back memories, you know? They're all like their ancestors." Krillen commented, earning a glance from the other two.

"What do you mean, Krillen?" Gohan asked.

"I mean each of those kids are like their parents and grandparents. Eli there is a good mixture of Trunks, Vegeta and Zara, even if he can be a little sensitive but then again, Vegeta was as well when it came to his pride. Chico is a lot like Goku and Goten and can be just as care free. Goro is more like me. He's good at understanding people and can usually make them laugh. Then Fry is a lot like Gohan and his sister, as his grades and temper proves." Krillen explained.

"That's true. Even a little of the old rivalry is still there, just like it was with Trunks and Goten. Eli and Fry may be best friends but they're always in competition with each other. That's probably partly Vegeta's fault." Gohan said thoughtfully.

"Yes, that's true. Sometimes I wonder what will happen to that rivalry." Krillen replied, turning back to the fight. Gohan blinked at his old friend's response.

"What do you mean?" he asked but Krillen didn't reply. He was too busy watching the fight.

Eli was on the attack again only this time he was throwing punches at Chico. She was smiling as she gracefully weaved between them and blocked and Eli had a matching smile as he pressed for a weak spot, neither breaking eye contact all the while. That was until Goro attacked Eli, sending the older boy away from his sister, and Chico was then forced to keep Goro's back protected from Fry.

"This is probably another good sign." Goku said, taking Krillen's and Gohan's attention away from the fight and onto him.

"If they're like us then the earth will be in good hands. They're going to be able to fight and they'll have plenty of people around to watch their backs if they ever get in trouble." He finished.

"Yea, but it looks like Eli and Fry still need a few more lessons in team work before they'll be any good at watching each other's backs." Krillen pointed out.

"Yea, but that's something we can focus and teach them by having more group training sessions." Gohan replied.

"Its definitely something to think about." Goku replied, flashing his famous Son grin.

The earth now had four potential heroes at its disposal and Goku had a good feeling that these four would easily be able to look after the planet if the rest of the Z gang weren't around. They had all broken the super saiyan barrier and it looked like it wouldn't be long until they could all go beyond that, just like every other saiyan – except Bra – and that made Goku happy.

Goku knew that it was highly probable that another threat would come and endanger the earth, after all, it never ended, so he knew that he had to make sure that their would always be strong warriors around to help protect it. Apart of Goku just hoped that the next enemy, if there would be any, would come years from now but there was rarely ever a choice. He just had to make sure everyone was ready.

And they would be as long as he was around to watch out for the earth. He may not be Earth's protector anymore but he would always help ensure its safety.

**The end**

* * *

A/n: well there you have it. The end to a story that I've enjoyed writing and hopefully you all enjoyed reading. Although I could be persuaded to go back and add in the black star hunt…

I'll now have to continue planning out my GT special now. I'm not sure when I'll start typing it up though. But our four new part saiyans will have an important role in the beginning, that's certain.

I'm also going to have to try and draw a decent picture of the cousins and Eli to put up. Chico's design has been annoying me ever since I came up with it, or at least since one annoying person decided to say that she had a mullet. I need to learn how to do simple designs…

And on a final note, Cacahue is a play on the French for peanut. Thought that could be a little tribute to Krillen since his name tradition seems to go around Chestnuts, only the French for that was already taken by Marron. Still, thought it would be a nice tribute to the main (and a few of my favourite) characters.

Reviews:

Rejhan: well here's the end. Hope you liked as well. I didn't give so much warning about the twins in the actual fic so hopefully they were a surprise. And glad I made you laugh.

Masterofmonster: hope you don't mind me using your OC's name. I was going to ask but I couldn't get hold of you. Besides Chica and Goro doesn't really go and Gora is just too feminine –Sweat-. Glad you liked last chapter though. Seems I've been in a funny mood lately and I can't switch it off…dang switch.

Trugeta: yes! Another person who actually like the Fry joke! I was nervous about people's reaction for a moment there.  
And it does look like we have a nice set of add-ons. It should be fun working on them. And I'm glad you liked the belt idea. Even Gohan could have his tail back after that so it looks like all saiyans except Bra have their tails. (Bra probably wouldn't have wanted her tail seeing as how she's the new CEO of C.C). It feels pretty good to have made a difference and have a good explanation behind it :).

Well that looks like it for this story. You'll all have to wait for the special now. Ja'ne.


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